Ambulnz's TeleHealth+ Delivers the Last Mile of Telemedicine

More Than Talk – TeleHealth+ Delivers the Last Mile of Telemedicine

Are you one of the millions of people who have had a remote medical appointment with your physician since the pandemic began? Telemedicine has been around for a while, but adoption of this technology has really taken hold during COVID-19.  Telemedicine has helped both physicians and patients, allowing for proper social distancing while permitting effective medical consultations to continue. Insurance companies and government agencies have also seen the benefits, making it even easier for patients to receive telemedicine services for numerous types of medical care, and easier for physicians to be reimbursed for their services.

Remote doctor visits, however, cannot replace all aspects of medical services.  Physical interactions are often required for examinations, testing and treatments. At that point, the patient is typically directed to a laboratory, urgent care, doctor’s office or hospital for treatment – requiring the patient go to the very place that the telemedicine session was supposed to avoid.

Enter Ambulnz and Rapid Reliable Testing.

Rapid Reliable Testing, or RRT, is a venture of Ambulnz (pronounced like Ambulance but with a Z sound at the end), an innovation-driven on-demand medical transportation provider. Ambulnz is transforming the industry through the use of disruptive technology, better compensation for EMTs and a unique business model that inspires the highest level of care. With more than 1,500 employees working in eight U.S. States and in the United Kingdom, Ambulnz operates more than 300 ambulances across its markets.

“When the pandemic first began, Ambulnz was effected the same way many medical transportation companies across the world experienced as both medical facilities and patients alike postponed voluntary procedures, which resulted in a reduction of ambulance call requests,” said Stan Vashovsky, Co-Founder and CEO of Ambulnz. “We used the opportunity to seek ways to leverage our national footprint and highly skilled field staff, and provide new services to better meet public health needs.”

One solution was to create RRT, which is already operating in 26 states within its first year of launch.  RRT provides comprehensive, turnkey testing solutions that identify and help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Leveraging Ambulnz’s highly trained work force and infrastructure, RRT offers testing at senior living facilities, businesses of all types, schools, camps, special events and municipalities. Rapid Reliable Testing has completed more than 500,000 tests in its first few months of operation.

RRT also closes the telemedicine gap by utilizing Ambulnz’s staff and advanced technology to provide non-critical medical services to patients in their homes. This delivers on the full promise and potential of telemedicine when a video appointment requires some type of direct, physical interaction to assess or treat the patient. 

Working under the guidance of Dr. Mark A. Merlin at MD1 Medical Care PC, RRT is able to provide patients with a range of concierge-level medical services in the comfort and safety of their own homes.  TeleHealth+ offers four key types of service:

• Bedside Procedures. These services may include rapid testing and blood work including routine tests like Coumadin levels, pregnancy, strep, urinalysis and viruses (i.e. COVID-19, HIV, etc.). Additional bedside procedures may include pre-op testing, pulse oximetry, saturation, ultrasound, and wound care.

• Cardiac Care.  Services such as blood pressure monitoring, cardiac monitoring, echocardiogram, and electrocardiogram (EKG).

• Medications.  Oral or intravenous, our medical professionals have more than 30 medications available including antibiotics and anti-nausea medications. They can also administer asthma treatment and intravenous fluids.

• Preventative Care. Vaccinations such as influenza, hepatitis, pneumonia, and tetanus came be administered, as can medical reconciliation and physicals (i.e. school or sports, as needed).

At home treatments result in an improved patient experience that lowers unnecessary exposures to others. Beyond increased comfort to patients, it can also reduce overall healthcare costs by limiting the inappropriate flow of patients to and from healthcare facilities. On-site services can also minimize unnecessary hospital readmissions by better ensuring patient compliance with discharge treatment plans.

Ambulnz’s Rapid Reliable Testing is already providing TeleHealth+ services to a number of customers, including on-site clinics for RXR Realty, remote patient monitoring for Long Island Select Healthcare, and at home flu shots via the GoodRX Telehealth Marketplace in markets across the US.  

By leveraging Ambulnz’s talented staff and institutional experience in partnership with licensed local physicians in each market, Ambulnz, through RRT and the Telehealth+ offerings are utilizing technology and innovative approaches to bring additional services to help local communities.  Ambulnz’s new ventures enable to company to better meet the public’s health needs and thrive in a COVID-era world.