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Case Study #1 <br />The MediHelp call center receives a call from a local <br />business about an injured employee. The employee <br />has something in her eye that is scratching. A Mobile <br />Primary Care Unit (MPCU) nurse is sent to the <br />worksite. The nurse examines a 23 year old woman <br />who was walking outside the warehouse during her <br />lunch hour when a gust of wind blew debris off the <br />warehouse roof and into her eye. She tried to get it out <br />but only made it worse and started to feel like it was <br />scratching. <br />Following protocol, the nurse uses eye kit equipment to carefully remove a <br />small piece of dirt that had embedded under an eyelid. Following application of <br />sterile eye ointment, the woman reports that her eye stings and waters a little <br />but doesn’t scratch and she can see fine. The nurse gives her written <br />instructions on follow up self-care and a phone number to call if the eye is not <br />totally clear of problems within 24 hours. There are no further consequences <br />and the eye is normal by the following day. <br />Minor injuries at work can be a very costly issue for employers. Without <br />mobile medical treatment options, often a supervisor or co-worker must <br />transport the injured employee to a clinic or urgent care and provide <br />transportation back when treatment is finished. Many minor injuries can <br />be safely treated and the worker released at the worksite by trained <br />professionals in MPCUs. In this case, the expense of a worker <br />compensation claim is spared and lost work time saved. <br />3.2Approach <br />The Mobile Healthcare Services (MHS) system integrates all aspects of EMS and adds <br />important new features for the management of non-urgent conditions. The goal is to <br />select the least costly and most appropriate level of care required by the patient’s <br />condition, while ensuring a high quality of care. <br />If the system performs well, consumers will enjoy the return of the routine ‘house call,’ a <br />form of personal health care that may prove to be the missing link in controlling costs. <br />The MHS system includes the following components, explained in more detail below: <br />Fire/EMS First Response Providers (fire departments), Advanced Life Support <br />(ALS/paramedic) Ambulances, Basic Life Support (BLS/EMT) Ambulances <br />Emergency and non-emergency call assessment and priority centers (9-1-1 and <br />MediHelp non-urgent) <br />Mobile Primary Care Units (MPCU) <br />5 <br />