Thrombolytic replacement service

[Rollie Parrish <rparrish@flightweb.com>]

Question for the group...

Years ago, some flight teams started to offer a thrombolytic
replacement service as a marketing tool. The flight
team would bring a replacement dose of thrombolytics with them
when they picked up a patient that had received a dose, with the
idea being that the hospital that sponsored this service would get more
cardiac transfers than competitors that didn't. The rural hospitals
benefitted from the convenience and didn't worry about two or
three doses outdating on the shelves.

I'm wondering if there are still any programs that offer this service,
or have thrombolytics become so commonplace that such a
replacement service like this is no longer necessary? Are there parts of
the country where this is still necessary? Has anyone ever looked at
whether this might violate any anti-kickback laws?  ("Your hospital won't have
to purchase expensive tPA if you send us all the patients that receive it.")

If your program used to do this, but has stopped, or you still do this,
just reply with your team name and city, as well as any comments.

For the record, NW MedStar (Spokane, WA) has a thrombolytic replacement
program with some smaller hospitals in their service area.

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Rollie Parrish
FlightWeb: For Air Medical Professionals
http://www.flightweb.com

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