San Diego Officials Mulls Alternatives — Like Uber — To Non-Emergency Ambulance Rides
Officials are trying to get creative as they brace for a sharp increase in ambulance ride costs.
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego Exploring New Emergency Response Model Amid Ambulance Crisis
A crisis in ambulance costs is prompting San Diego officials to seek an alternative model where non-emergency patients could take a taxi or Uber to a clinic or urgent care facility and get reimbursed by private insurers, Medicare or Medi-Cal. The goal is stemming a sharp rise in ambulance costs for the city and patients by discouraging rampant abuse of the 9-1-1 system, where 30 percent of callers don’t end up actually needing an ambulance ride to an emergency room. (Garrick, 11/5)
In other news from across the state —
The Ventura County Star:
Lawsuit Alleges Oxnard Nursing Home Didn't Provide Adequate Care
The family of a 74-year-old woman claims in an elder abuse lawsuit that lack of care at an Oxnard nursing home caused pressure sores and infections, ultimately leading to the woman’s death. The lawsuit alleges Oxnard Manor Healthcare Center failed to provide Sharon Kay Haley care related to hygiene, repositioning during bedrest, adequate nutrition and hydration, and other assistance that would have prevented what lawyers called “horrific” pressure sores. (Kisken, 11/3)
Sacramento Bee:
‘It’s Worse Than A Wrongful Death.’ Family Of Brain-Damaged Man Sues Sacramento Police
The family of a man left with the mental capacity of a preschooler after a March encounter with Sacramento police has filed an excessive force lawsuit against the city. (Chabria, 11/5)