Minor Definitive Care Now (MDCN) Program

The Client

Baltimore Mobile Integrated Health logo

Baltimore Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) 

The Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD), University of Maryland Medical Center, the City of Baltimore, and University of Maryland, Baltimore have partnered to launch a new healthcare delivery model for selected areas of Baltimore City. This innovative community-based program will support the health of individuals through a comprehensive, free, multidisciplinary care model for patients, which provides care outside the hospital setting and is designed to reduce health disparities, decrease emergency department visits, and prevent hospital readmissions.

Mobile Integrated Health’s (MIH) Minor Definitive Care Now (MDCN) is a program that supports low acuity patients who call 911 for EMS evaluation and transport. Within the MIH catchment area, the MDCN team, consisting of an advanced level provider (ALP) and a CP, monitors and responds to these calls in a dedicated, medically equipped vehicle at the same time as emergency BCFD providers. The patient is screened by the MDCN team, and if appropriate and agreeable to the patient, then treated at the scene. The 911 unit is released back in service, available for the next emergency in West Baltimore. The primary objective of the MDCN program is to reduce Emergency Department (ED) visits.

The Problem

MDCN was experiencing limitations in their operations that resulted in lower-than-desired enrollment volumes. The MIH-MDCN program was considering ways to increase the utilization of the program by:

  • Adding a vehicle
  • Adding a shift
  • Expanding the catchment area

The end goal was to increase enrollment to achieve a positive return on investment in the MDCN program.

Close up of portable EKG machine attached to patient on mobile gurney

The Approach

Evaluating expansion required estimates on the additional MDCN demand that would be observed under each of these options. To do so, it was necessary to calculate the probability of MDCN responding to a call of a given type and estimate the additional number of calls that would have occurred in the past year given each of the three changes being considered above.

The Solution

The Pro Bono Analytics team was able to deliver several complex data tables to inform Baltimore Mobile Integrated Health’s decision making. Time of day, type of emergency services required, and location/proximity were all salient factors in forecasting utilization for MDCN services. Based on utilization trends identified from data analysis conducted on collected data around the factors mentioned above, this analysis allowed the MDCN team to strategically position itself to respond to calls where it is likely the patient can be treated on site. This maximizes impact and ensures that relatively minor medical incidents do not clog throughput in local emergency rooms.

Project at a Glance

Completed

2019

Sector

Healthcare

Location

Baltimore, MD

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