Benjamin Swig
Ready Responders
In Israel, the threat of terrorism has created the need to deploy rapid critical care in response to attacks of mass destruction. Those who are injured worst are routed directly to hospitals’ emergency departments, while those with less serious ailments are routed to other care providers, allowing trauma teams to focus on those most in need.
With an injection of technology, Benjamin Swig thought the idea could be built upon to help ease congestion in New Orleans’ crowded ERs. His company has been described as the “Uber of EMS.”
Ready Responders are nationally and state certified EMTs trained in advanced first aid and immediate lifesaving interventions who work in partnership with New Orleans’ municipal emergency medical services. They are deployed via a smartphone app in non-life threatening medical situations.
“A majority of calls to 911 aren’t acute emergencies,” Swig said. “The goal is to reduce unnecessary ambulance and ER usage. We use a location-based routing system to identify the right resource, at the right time, at the right place, to provide the right care.
“If you look at best practices and innovative approaches to medicine, we have a chance to build on this model and save a lot of money in the health care system by providing patient navigation resources to get them to appropriate care.”
Ready Responders’ plan to establish mobile integrated healthcare won $25,000 during “The Big Idea” contest during New Orleans Entrepreneur Week. The company is currently meeting twice a month with the Mayor’s Office and the city’s Emergency Medical Services to launch the program.
“We’re making really good progress,” Swig said. “It will improve access to care in some of the places that are farther away from the core services that the city offers.”
