Expanding patient care services with Mobile Integrated Health

South Shore Health interim President and CEO, Rose Di Pietro has announced that the health system will bring hospital care directly to patients in the community with the implementation of a high-touch, high-tech Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) program. South Shore Health’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) team will implement the program using mobile resources to deliver services to adults with chronic and co-morbid conditions.

"We are thrilled to become the first hospital-based health organization in the region to introduce this leading-edge, mobile approach to healthcare.” said Di Pietro. “The goal of MIH is to improve access to critical, patient-centered healthcare by delivering it directly to individuals in their homes or other community settings.”

South Shore Health EMS will leverage the power of the entire health system, including primary care, cardiovascular care, wound care, urgent care and behavioral health care to provide a safety net for patients with chronic health issues.

“We are very pleased that South Shore Health’s MIH program will launch in Weymouth, where its Emergency Medical Services division has served for nearly two years as the town’s EMS provider,” said Weymouth Mayor Robert Hedlund. “This expanded EMS program will allow for paramedics to care for Weymouth residents who’ll benefit from a proactive approach to healthcare delivery and who are better suited to be treated in their homes.”

South Shore Health’s MIH paramedics have each undergone over 300 hours of training, including clinical clerkships with physicians. In the field they will have the use of telehealth technology to provide real-time communication about patients to providers.

“Initiatives like this are the future of medicine and I’m excited to have South Shore Health leading the way,” said Senator Patrick O’Connor. “The new MIH program will deliver high-value care in low-cost settings. Oftentimes, simply accessing care is the largest barrier, and now we’ll be able to reach patients where they are and deliver the most appropriate medical care for their conditions.”

Medical oversight for the South Shore Health MIH program will be provided by a team of providers from multiple specialties and disciplines who’ll report to MIH Medical Directors, Kelly Lannutti, MD and William Tollefsen, MD. Dr. Lannutti specializes in urgent care medicine and is board-certified in Family Medicine. Dr. Tollefsen is board-certified in both Emergency Medicine and EMS Medicine and serves as the EMS Medical Director for eight municipal and three private ambulance services on the South Shore.

“Our MIH program will enable South Shore EMS paramedics to use their skills to help address gaps in the delivery of healthcare by getting the right care to people in the right setting,” said Eugene Duffy, Director, Emergency Medical Services, South Shore Health. “We look forward to helping to reduce the barriers to care facing patients.”

The MIH program is supported in part by a $10m dollar gift which was announced in February of 2018, funding the Grayken Treatment Center at South Shore Health. There are no cost restrictions to this program based on a patient’s insurance or socio-economic status.

“South Shore Health’s MIH program will allow paramedics to use their skills to help solve universal challenges facing hospitals, health systems and communities, such as access to care,” said Rep. James Murphy. “This is a great example of a community working together to help improve health outcomes and hopefully reduce overall healthcare costs by delivering care in the most appropriate setting outside of the emergency department.”