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Hillsborough County OKs MD Ally telehealth partnership to triage non‑emergency 911 calls
Summary
The board approved a partnership between Hillsborough County Fire Rescue and MD Ally to connect non‑emergency 911 callers to telehealth clinicians and manage an estimated 10,000–20,000 low‑acuity calls annually; the county said there is no financial impact to county funds for the service.
Hillsborough County commissioners approved a partnership with MD Ally to provide telehealth and care‑navigation services that will connect low‑acuity 911 callers with clinicians and certified paramedics rather than dispatching an ambulance for non‑emergency needs.
According to the recap read by Demarz, MD Ally is expected to manage approximately 10,000 to 20,000 low‑acuity calls per year, reduce unnecessary EMS transports, free up emergency crews for critical calls, and deploy rapid‑response vans as needed. The recap states "There is no financial impact to the county."
County staff described the arrangement as a way to improve patient outcomes, shorten emergency response wait times for higher‑acuity calls and ensure EMS resources are used where they are most needed. The board approved moving forward with the partnership; contracting details, performance metrics and operational protocols were not provided in the recap and will be included in subsequent staff reports.
