ER Anywhere: Emergency Room Services without the Wait

The health care app ER Anywhere, developed by United Concierge Medicine, aims to reduce health care costs, relieve stress on emergency personnel and agencies, and improve patient care by offering CDPHP Medicaid members a convenient alternative to emergency room (ER) visits. By downloading the ER Anywhere app via Apple Store or Google Play, or by calling 1-866-ER-ANYWHERE, patients can consult with an emergency medical provider about acute medical issues 24/7. Emergency personnel then triage the patient, determining whether their condition warrants ambulance transport, medication, testing, or a follow-up appointment with a physician.

The following is one example of the services provided by ER Anywhere. As you’ll see, within a few hours of calling ER Anywhere, the patient received an imaging study, lab work, and a correct diagnosis without ever having to go to the hospital.

Josie, a 39-year-old woman, had been experiencing recurrent, intermittent abdominal pain for a couple weeks. One morning, she woke up extra early with chills and vomited twice. Worried, she called ER Anywhere.

The ER Anywhere provider listened as Josie described her symptoms and pain and then asked follow-up questions to assess her medical needs. The provider scheduled an ultrasound and blood tests at a facility near the patient’s home. The tests were completed within a couple hours.  The ER Anywhere emergency medical provider advised the ultrasound technician to keep the patient in the waiting room until the radiologist had read the images.  Within 45 minutes, a report was sent to ER Anywhere showing numerous gallstones without evidence of a gallbladder infection.  The provider shared the results of the tests and explained gallbladder disease to Josie before referring her for an appointment with a general surgeon that same week.

Without a correct and early diagnosis, Josie may have needed emergency surgery.  In this case, she was guided through her urgent medical need without having to wait to be seen in the hospital ER, and she returned home reassured, knowing that she would receive prompt follow-up care by a surgeon.