Where Community Paramedicine Referrals Get Stuck

Canova, Brian M

Item

Where Community Paramedicine Referrals Get Stuck

Canova, Brian M

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Abstract

Primary care provider (PCP) referrals remain the critical choke point in underutilization of Community Paramedicine (CP) programs, despite their proven ability to reduce readmissions and expand healthcare access. In Maine, barriers include poor provider awareness of CP’s scope, difficulty identifying eligible patients, and lack of streamlined referral pathways. Lessons from CP and palliative care show that EMR-based referral algorithms and embedded care teams can boost referral rates, but adoption is limited by technical and reimbursement challenges. This project identified referral barriers through conversations with community partners and developed a clinic placard to guide PCPs in patient identification as a pragmatic alternative to a “forced consideration” EMR popup.