Program Aims to Reduce Healthcare Costs and Provide the Right Level of Convenient Care for every 911 Caller
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (April. 8th, 2025)— The city of Evansville is the first emergency medical services (EMS) provider in the state of Indiana to take a proactive step and enhance its emergency response capabilities to better serve its residents with the launch of 911 Nurse Navigation, an innovative initiative developed in partnership with local EMS provider American Medical Response (AMR) and program pioneer Global Medical Response (GMR). This cutting-edge initiative will help ensure those who call 911 receive the right care, at the right time, in the right setting.
AMR and Evansville Fire Department joint medical director Dr. Matt Gilbert shares, “By integrating the Nurse Navigation program, we are improving access to care, reducing unnecessary emergency department visits and ambulance transports and enhancing EMS system efficiency. This initiative lowers costs for patients and allows first responders to remain available for true medical emergencies.”
How Nurse Navigation Bridges the Gap
For 911 callers with medical needs that don’t require an immediate, response, dispatchers will have a powerful new tool at their disposal: a team of trained nurse navigators who use physician protocols to screen caller and then offer an appropriate resource to meet their specific healthcare needs. This in turn reduces unnecessary ambulance dispatches and emergency room visits. Evansville’s Nurse Navigation screening system will carefully assess a caller’s situation and determine the most appropriate path forward such as:
• Schedule a same-day or next-day appointment at a federally qualified health center
• Connect callers to virtual care with a physician for real-time medical advice
• Direct callers to urgent care for treatment
• Arrange alternative transportation for those who need emergency care but not an ambulance
“Our priority is to ensure every 911 caller receives the right level of care at the right time in the most appropriate setting, ” stated Gilbert
Nurse Navigation is Transforming 911 Responses Across the US
Similar 911 Nurse Navigation programs are now in over 30 communities across 14 states, collectively benefiting more than 200,000 callers. Notably, 97% of these calls did not require an emergency ambulance response. In 2024 alone, the program saved an estimated $21 million by preventingunnecessary ambulance transports, avoidable emergency department visits, and other costly interventions.
