Residents of Hillsborough County can now breathe a sigh of relief, or at least avoid unnecessary trips to the emergency room, thanks to a new partnership between the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR) and MD Ally Technologies. Announced earlier, this collaboration aims to streamline how non-emergency 911 calls are handled by connecting callers to telehealth services instead of dispatching ambulances by default, as reported in the county's official news release.
MD Ally Technologies, a cloud-based healthcare provider, will help HCFR handle non-urgent 911 calls by connecting patients to board-certified paramedics, nurses, and physicians via telehealth. Rapid response vans are available for on-site care if needed. The program, at no cost to the county, aims to divert calls that don’t require an ambulance or ER visit to more appropriate healthcare options such as urgent care, primary care, or other community resources, freeing EMS to focus on critical emergencies.
The county news release estimates the program could redirect 10,000 to 20,000 non-emergency calls annually, about 8–16% of HCFR’s EMS call volume. This is expected to reduce unnecessary ambulance and emergency department use, helping EMS focus on more urgent cases.
The initiative aims to improve patient care while keeping EMS units available for life-threatening emergencies. By using telehealth for non-urgent calls, HCFR can better manage resources and modernize local emergency services, potentially setting an example for other EMS agencies.
