Skip to main content
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Digital Health
    • Transformation
    • ESG
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Blogs
    • AI
    • Deals
    • Layoff Tracker
    • HIMSS 2023
  • Opinion
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • 40 Under 40
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Innovators Awards
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women Leaders
    • Digital Health Transformation Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Looking Ahead to 2024
    • - AI and Digital Health
    • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Sponsored Video Series - Checking In with Dan Peres
  • Data & Insights
    • Data & Insights Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • Newsletters
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Government
September 18, 2017 12:00 AM

Nurses taking non-emergency medical calls at Vegas dispatch

Associated Press
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More

    Kari Dawson is a new addition to the Las Vegas fire communications center, but her role is different from the rest of the call-takers whose voices fill the room.

    "Las Vegas Fire and Rescue, this is Kari, I'm a registered nurse," she says into her headset, pausing to listen to a caller. "I'm going to ask you some questions to make sure we get you the right kind of help."

    Dawson is one of eight RNs staffing a new nurse call line in Las Vegas, where some of the less severe medical calls are routed. The pilot program kicked off in July with a $300,000 budget for training and pay for nurses who work one day a week.

    Dawson, who also is a pediatric emergency room nurse at Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center in Las Vegas, said her work entails visualizing what a caller is describing.

    "We use our knowledge of how to treat these things in the ER," Dawson told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I can't see what it looks like. If you walk into the ER, I can tell that's definitely broken, it looks broken, it's not broken. You have to rely on what they're telling you."

    The program could help lower costs by preventing an unnecessary trip to the ER. Results will be assessed when the pilot money runs out and the city council could make it permanent.

    One nurse is on duty from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The number of calls varies, but Dawson estimates she averages five or six a day.

    Similar programs, typically referred to as "nurse triage," have been used for more than a decade in other cities. In Reno, Nev., for example, the Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority lets Washoe County residents to call its nurse health line directly.

    Las Vegas Fire Chief Willie McDonald said he envisions a similar service there.

    About two-thirds of the roughly 600,000 calls per year to Las Vegas fire dispatch are medical calls. Ones deemed least serious can be transferred to the nurse call line.

    Certain thresholds are in place: Callers complaining of chest pain aren't routed to the nurse call line. Callers with minor injuries might not be transferred if they have potentially more serious risk factors.

    A software program guides the nurse through a protocol prompting new questions based on the sick or injured person's answers. The program also creates patient logs, so if someone calls a second time, their medical information and previous call record can be seen.

    Dawson said many calls she gets involve people without a primary-care physician who might not be aware of treatment options in less-acute medical situations.

    If a patient needs medical care but not necessarily an ambulance, the nurse can order a ride-share service to get them to a hospital or an urgent-care facility. If the caller insists on an ambulance or is uncomfortable with a ride-share, Dawson said the nurse on duty won't try to deter them.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    California hospital pic
    California’s CalAIM Medicaid experiment struggling with implementation
    congress prescription drugs
    PBMs, Big Pharma face off in House hearing
    Most Popular
    1
    CMS may withhold Medicaid funding over redeterminations issues
    2
    Meet the 2023 Most Influential People in Healthcare
    3
    CVS Health unveils 'cost plus' drug pricing model
    4
    Epic CEO Judy Faulkner touts gen AI, clinical research tools
    5
    Physicians leaving private practice hurt patient care: survey
    Sponsored Content
    Modern Healthcare Alert: Sign up for this breaking news email to be kept in the loop as urgent healthcare business news unfolds.
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Help Center
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Digital Health
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • ESG
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Blogs
      • AI
      • Deals
      • Layoff Tracker
      • HIMSS 2023
    • Opinion
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • 40 Under 40
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Innovators Awards
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women Leaders
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Looking Ahead to 2024
        • - AI and Digital Health
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
      • Sponsored Video Series - Checking In with Dan Peres
    • Data & Insights
      • Data & Insights Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • Newsletters
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing