HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014/03/03 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session St. Louis Park OFFICIAL MINUTES
MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL STUDY SESSION
ST. LOUIS PARK,MINNESOTA
MARCH 3, 2014
The meeting convened at 6:39 p.m.
Councilmembers present: Mayor Jeff Jacobs, Tim Brausen, Steve Hallfin, Gregg Lindberg,
Anne Mavity, Susan Sanger, and Jake Spano.
Councilmembers absent: None.
Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), Fire Chief (Mr. Koering), and Recording
Secretary(Ms. Hughes).
1. Pilot Program with Park Nicollet Healthcare/Methodist Hospital
Mr. Harmening presented the staff report and stated that the City is uniquely situated to have a
relationship with Park Nicollet and Methodist Hospital and to be more proactive from a pre-911
perspective and the pilot program could serve to improve the lives of the City's residents,
enhance the City's brand, and serve as a potential revenue source for the City.
Councilmember Hallfin asked if the City foresees the possibility of working with other hospital
systems if the pilot program is a success. He also requested further information about liability
and the City's potential exposure if a patient is readmitted within the thirty-day timeframe.
Mr. Koering stated that staff believes this pilot program could serve as a launching point for this
type of program throughout the metro area to manage patients being discharged from other
hospital systems. He indicated that significant details remain to be worked out, including mutual
aid, and staff is currently engaged in these conversations with other communities with the idea
that if crews were tied up on a structure fire and were only able to visit with ten patients on a
given day, the Fire Department would offload its patient visits to a neighboring community. He
stated the Fire Department currently performs EMS and in-home visits and the duties performed
during the pilot program's patient visits would be no different and are very much within the
firefighter's scope of practice and all fall within the framework of care that firefighters are
allowed to give. He added that the liability questions are currently being reviewed.
Councilmember Brausen stated he was concerned about making sure that Fire Department
personnel are available for 911 services. He also asked about HIPAA issues and medical
reporting requirements.
Mr. Koering explained that hypothetically one person would be assigned to perform in-home
visits leaving the rest of the shift,at the fire station to handle 911 calls. He added that the in-
home visits are not considered emergent calls so the Fire Department can better plan its capacity
and daily work schedule. He stated that Park Nicollet's compliance and legal staff are working
on HIPAA issues to determine what information can be shared and part of the process will
include an opt-in or opt-out for patients to approve or deny the release of their medical
information to Fire Department personnel. He stated that firefighters will have a checklist and
format to be followed for every in-home visit.
Mr. Harmening stated that the Fire Department is covered by the League and staff is working
with them on the liability questions.
Special Study Session Minutes -2- March 3, 2014
Councilmember Mavity asked who is liable if something is missed during an in-home visit.
Councilmember Sanger asked if Park Nicollet's medical malpractice insurance would cover the
City's firefighters during the in-home visits.
Mr. Koering agreed to check on the liability question and medical malpractice insurance
question.
Councilmember Sanger requested that the City use fuel-efficient vehicles for the in-home visits
as well as for all other medical related calls. She asked if any additional staff would need to be
hired for the pilot program.
Mr. Koering advised that 81% of the time the Fire Department takes a small vehicle to a medical
call and 19% of the time a larger vehicle is used. He stated that staff will need to figure out what
vehicle to assign for the patient visits with the idea of using a smaller vehicle and not tying up
any of the expensive apparatus. He stated that no additional staff will need to be hired for the
pilot program.
Councilmember Sanger asked how the City is going to evaluate whether the pilot program is
successful. She requested further information about the revenue being paid to the City as part of
this program.
Mr. Koering advised that a work group has been creating a list of outcomes for the program that
will measure the success of the program. He stated that the revenue to be paid to the City has not
yet been finalized, adding that the discussions lean towards the Fire Department getting paid a
flat rate per patient visit.
Councilmember Mavity requested the program include outcomes for the City overall as well as
outcomes related to the community and residents. She asked about the feedback received from
the firefighters about this pilot program.
Mr. Koering stated that this initiative is the#1 priority for the Professional Firefighters Union for
the State of Minnesota and the firefighters have started to embrace this model and they
understand that they have to continue to look at ways to change the current service model. He
pointed out that the firefighters are already seeing these patients as part of their responsibilities
and this program will allow them to better plan their day.
Councilmember Spano commented that the Police Department employs a community oriented
policing model that emphasizes community engagement and prevention to minimize the number
of crimes committed in the community. He felt that the proposed pilot program embodies the
same sort of principles by working to prevent serious illnesses, adding that since the City is
already providing these services free of charge, the City should capture that cost and explore this
pilot program further.
It was the consensus of the City Council to direct staff to pursue undertaking a pilot program to
test the feasibility of a partnership with Park Nicollet/Methodist Hospital for post-discharge
firefighter visits.
The meeting adjourned at 7:22 p.m.
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Nancy Stroth, ity Clerk Jeff Jacops, My
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