Ridgewood Hospital Bringing Back At-Home Medical Visits To Bergen

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — At-home medical visits are back in Bergen County due to a new partnership between Valley Health System and DispatchHealth.

DispatchHealth offers on-demand healthcare through its mobile app by partnering with local medical care providers.

Medical teams consist of a physician's assistant or nurse practitioner and a medical technician. Teams have medical kits containing most of the tools and technologies found in hospital emergency rooms, including echo cardiogram testers and intravenous fluids.

Teams are able to treat a variety of common illnesses and injuries, including urinary tract infections, respiratory infections, injuries from falls, and the flu. Prescriptions can be sent directly to a patient's pharmacy.

The service accepts most insurance providers, including UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, and Cigna.

DispatchHealth's North Jersey service area stretches from the Bergen County-New York state border to much of southern and western Bergen County.

"DispatchHealth offers our community the convenience of an urgent care visit in the comfort of their homes," said Dr. John McGreal, an emergency room doctor and co-medical director of the DispatchHealth service at Valley.

Reports are provided to a patient's primary doctor, living community, or home health agency.

Users can request a team to their home from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week, including holidays.

"A convenient option to cost-effective, high-acuity medical care isn't always easy to come by," said Daniel Medina, director of DispatchHealth's Ridgewood market area. "This collaboration will help increase access to affordable care for northern New Jersey seniors or busy working parents, both of whom can benefit from staying home for treatment."

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com