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Physician-response EMS team seeks $350,000 county funding after yearlong pilot, presenter says lives saved and workforce benefits
Summary
Dr. Tim Pei presented a one-year report on a physician-response "fly car" EMS program that logged 211 9-1-1 responses, emphasized on-scene teaching and quality assurance, and requested ongoing county funding of about $350,000 annually to sustain and expand coverage.
Dr. Tim Pei, assistant medical director for emergency medicine, told the Town of Wayne Select Board on Dec. 17 that a physician-response 'fly car' pilot in Kennebec County has produced measurable clinical benefits, extensive on-the-job training for first responders and recruitment advantages for area hospitals — and he asked the county to consider $350,000 a year to sustain the service.
"Our goal is general county funding ongoing at the tune of $350,000 per year," Pei said, describing the funding ask as the amount needed to provide roughly 12 hours a day of physician availability during weekdays. Pei said the program responded to 211 9-1-1 calls in its first year and recorded 1,891 hours on call, with a heavy emphasis on teaching: more than 200 hours of instruction reaching 748 students in the county.
Pei summarized evidence from meta-analyses showing better survival outcomes when physicians augment paramedic teams for some critical calls. Citing pooled studies, he said physician involvement nearly doubled survival-to-discharge with intact mentation in some cardiac-arrest analyses: "15.1 percent with a physician, 8.4 percent with a traditional team," he told the board, characterizing those figures as statistically significant in larger datasets.
Locally, Pei said the program had surprising operational results: the fly car was first on scene as the first advanced life-support provider in 10 cases, including five cardiac arrests. Pei also highlighted educational value: on-scene coaching, post-call debriefs and quality-review charting that he said changed practice patterns among local fire and EMS crews.
On logistics and sustainability, Pei outlined the program's mix of funding: an ARPA grant and other one-time funds supported equipment and initial stipends; additional awards (including a $236,000 award from a recovery/restitution fund) have helped but come with timing uncertainty. He acknowledged that the county commissioners and county administrator are considering how to continue support and that timing of multi-year grants or settlements can delay actual payments to the program.
Board members asked about dispatching (automatic vs. manual), response times in a rural county, scope of physician procedures in the field and whether the program duplicated or supplemented existing life-flight or air-transport services. Pei said the service is not a substitute for helicopter medical transport but fills gaps when air transport is delayed or unavailable.
Pei urged the board to weigh health outcomes, training benefits and regional workforce advantages against the fiscal cost. The board took the presentation under advisement ahead of county budget discussions.
