When you work as a first responder, and specifically in an ambulance, you see changes in our cities’ demographic makeup more directly than most. The fact that our populations are changing will come as no surprise to you, but the impact of these shifts on emergency medical services may.
COVID-19 has changed the world significantly. Economic pressures have caused massive shifts in the workplace – from the rise of remote work and the gig economy to people seeking “pandemic proof” employment. The increase of remote work means fewer people on the roads or gathered in centralized places daily. Gig-style jobs or entrepreneurship may or may not offer workers the option for commercial insurance.
These factors can shift an ambulance service’s payer mix, as more and more people are choosing to work in ways that require them to pay for their medical care directly.
While these trends can seem like scary news, EMERGICON believes they are opportunities to know and understand our communities even better. With that knowledge we can support the agencies we serve as they strategically serve their communities in this new dynamic.