LifeTeam provides quick help
Staff writer
Marion County entered into a contract nearly a year ago with LifeTeam Midwest, based in Wichita, for transport of severely injured or ill patients to Wichita hospitals.
"It's a wonderful program," JoAnn Knak, director of Emergency Medical Services for Marion County, said recently.
"We might certainly have had some different outcomes had we not had this in place," said Michele Abbott-Becker, director of emergency communications for the county.
A Marion County dispatcher can now summon the aircraft from Wichita, with a phone call, Abbott-Becker said. This saves the patient, on average, 25 minutes on his or her arrival at a Wichita hospital. In cases when the patient might have been taken to the Newton, Marion, or Hillsboro hospitals, LifeTeam can save up to three hours in getting the patient to a Wichita facility.
The Golden Hour is the first hour after injury, seizure, or onset of illness. The expression was coined by those working with trauma patients during the Vietnam War in the 1960s and '70s.
In cases of life-threatening trauma, the sooner one receives appropriate care, the better one's chances of a good outcome.
So that first golden hour is very important.
"Now we don't have to wait for our EMS people to get there to the scene," said Knak.
Marion County was the first to enter into this arrangement with LifeTeam led by Knak and Abbott-Becker. Since then, other counties have adopted the program.
"Marion County has a limited number of transport units (ambulances), too," Abbott-Becker said. Under this program, those units can be kept in the county for other needs.
LifeTeam crews transport patients from hospitals, too, not just from accident or illness scenes.
The average LifeTeam crew has 11 years experience, according to Mike Johnson, Mobile Intensive Care Technician with LifeTeam. He also is the company's chief flight paramedic.
There is no cost to the patient or the county if the aircraft turns around en route and returns to Wichita without transporting a patient.
Marion County EMS can tell them, "disregard."
The company provides continuous training, such as establishing landing zones for local and area fire departments. DUI (driving under the influence) simulation training is conducted at schools.
"We're out here a lot to train," said Johnson. The average cost for a run, Wichita to Marion to Wichita, is $500.
"That is 35 percent lower than our only competitor," said Melissa Knott, LifeTeam program manager.
Health insurance will usually pay the fee, Knott said in a recent visit to Marion. That includes Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers.
Abbott-Becker said she began working as a dispatcher in 1989 and the county "didn't have this option available then."
"It's good to know that the option is there," said Darryl Thiesen, the incoming county EMS director who will replace Knak when she retires in December.
The flight crew is part of a hierarchy, Johnson said. The decision to transport is a group one, made first by the EMS crew on the ground.
"We're not affiliated with any one (Wichita) hospital," Johnson said. Patient preference and EMS service preference are taken into consideration before the destination is set.
The crew can alert the trauma teams at Wesley Medical Center, Via Christi-St. Francis Regional Medical Center, or at St. Joseph Campus.
LifeTeam provides dispatcher training, too.
Abbott-Becker said the Kansas Association of Public Safety Communications Officers met during the week of Oct. 13 in Hays. Those attending talked about launching, guidelines, procedures and policies, as well as early activation.
