Worcester Business Journal

20 Worcester Business Journal | December 1, 2025 | wbjournal.com F O C U S H E A LT H C A R E Dr. John Broach Julie Inzerillo Dr. Laurel O'Connor Mobile Integrated Health reduces ER visits, make care more accessible BY MONICA BENEVIDES Special to WBJ A lmost anyone with an aging family member is familiar with the particu- lar stress of sudden, fre- quent emergency room visits. These visits are often costly and time-consuming, and force caregivers and patients to grapple with weighty deliberations around what constitutes a true emergency. Enter: same day in-home medical visits like those patients can access through UMass Memorial Health's Mobile Integrated Health program. Usually, when a patient calls their doctor's office to receive care, pro- viders have two options: schedule an appointment or advise the patient to call 911. MIH, which piloted in 2021, provides a half-step measure to that equation. If a doctor would like a patient seen quickly but is unsure whether the situ- ation is an emergency, the doctor can activate MIH to send a paramedic to the patient's home through Worcester EMS. "We're not instead of, we're comple- mentary to," said Dr. Laurel O'Connor, an emergency medicine specialist who helped spearhead the MIH initiative at UMass Memorial. On-site, paramedics can perform basic diagnostics or even administer medicine like antibiotics, breathing therapies, or IV fluids. These paramedics are able to remotely consult with emergency department physicians and drive the patient to the hospital if an emergency is taking place. The program was in large part O'Connor's brainchild and has ex- panded to include about 20 UMass Memorial-based practices since its launch in 2021. When not teaching or caring for patients, O'Connor identifies pri- marily as a researcher specializing in health care provided in settings other than hospitals, such as major public sporting events or during disasters. A passionate expert in the field, she jokingly referred to badgering UMass Memorial leadership into piloting an MIH initiative. But MIH, which primarily services elderly patients, is more than just O'Connor. There are about 15 people working in the program, including on-hand physicians in the emergency room and a fleet of paramedics based out of Worcester EMS, which UMass Me- morial runs. The individual practices signed onto the program include primary care providers as well as specialists. "The major benefit we see is just how much patients love this program," said Julie Inzerillo, a paramedic who developed MIH's initial protocols along with O'Connor. Some patients, the pair recalled with a laugh, loved the program so much they have begun to request specific paramedics. Those kinds of interpersonal con- nections can feel lacking for patients as they navigate a congested health- care system still recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. But with MIH, paramedics meet patients in their home, which has the dual impact of keeping a potentially vulnerable patient out of the hospital while al- lowing providers to informally assess their living conditions. PHOTOS | MATT WRIGHT, COURTESY OF UMASS MEMORIAL HEALTH

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