The Next L.A. / Reinventing Our Future : Health Care : IDEA FILE: Quasi-Medical Corps
Emergency medical technicians and paramedics, already familiar with medical procedures, are trained and authorized to perform routine functions of doctors and nurses, such as immunizing children, testing for tuberculosis and other communicable diseases, taking throat cultures, analyzing urine tests, administering certain medications.
Benefits: Improves the health of the public by making preventive medicine--immunization, TB testing, etc.--more widely available, thus cutting down on the spread of disease.
Short-Term or Long-Term Impact?: Short term.
Supporters: This is already being tried in various forms in New Mexico, Alaska and Florida, where paramedics in Tampa are making scheduled house calls. Advocates say it would improve public access to basic preventive health care and assure better emergency response in times of disaster. In addition, they argue, paramedics and EMTs have time when they are not handling emergencies.
Opponents: It would likely face stiff opposition from doctors and nurses, and might not go over well with some EMTs and paramedics, who prefer the status quo. American College of Emergency Physicians is also debating the concept. Opponents say it would not work well on a day-to-day basis in a congested city like Los Angeles, where EMTS and paramedics are extremely busy with emergency calls, but might be appropriate for the Antelope Valley and other less populated areas. Would require change in state legislation as well as some system of additional medical backup. Additionally, it might keep some people from seeing doctors when they really need to.
The costs: Nominal charges for services. Funding necessary for advanced training of EMTS and paramedics, which would drive up their salaries. Might create liability problems for paramedics and also shift some costs of medical care from emergency rooms and local clinics to fire stations.
REALITY CHECK: Possible. The system is in place and ready for expansion given training and money.
