New partnership with Columbus Fire & EMS allows 911 callers to talk to a doctor
Columbus Fire & EMS is now offering a new 911 option where non-emergency callers can connect virtually with a board-certified emergency room doctor, according to a news release from the department.
This new option, through Texas-based RightSite Health, is designed to help keep ambulances and emergency rooms available for patients with life-threatening conditions, the news release says.
Along with the board-certified ER doctor, callers connect with a patient navigator and receive instant access to care, discuss treatment options and access follow-up support, according to the news release.
When someone calls the Columbus 911 Communications Center, which operates in the Columbus Police Department, and describes a situation that doesn’t require “lights and sirens,” the dispatcher can ask the caller whether they want to see an ER doctor, the news release says.
Columbus Fire & EMS Deputy Chief Jules Hazen said the program started back in October and said around nine people currently use the service.
“We hope that it increases because the goal is to decrease the need of an ambulance coming, where we can offer a different avenue for treatment instead of going to the emergency room being transported by ambulance,” Hazen told the Ledger-Enquirer.
When people call 911, he said, the dispatcher asks a series of questions based on emergency medical dispatching practices. The answers the caller gives get run through an algorithm, which determines the severity of the call.
“If it’s determined that it’s a low-acuity or a non-life-threatening emergency call,” Hazen said, “the dispatcher can then offer, ‘Hey would you like to access RightSite and talk to an ER physician right now with your problem?’”
If the caller agrees, Hazen said, the dispatcher will connect them to RightSite. If the doctor determines the case doesn’t need to go to an ER, the navigator will help the patient if they need to go to an urgent care, get a prescription picked up or set up transportation.
If the caller declines RightSide services, Hazen said, an ambulance will be dispatched to their location.
Columbus 911 director talks about medical calls
Columbus 911 director Tracie Abell told the Ledger-Enquirer the 911 center receives around 3,000 medical calls each month with about 1,000 of those being low-acuity calls.
“I think (this new option) will help a lot because it takes the burden off of EMS,” Abell said. “It also helps the citizens as well because they incur high ambulance bills, and that will help them by doing telehealth.”
Abell said the Columbus Consolidated Government doesn’t have to pay anything to RightSite for its services.
RightSite CEO talk about partnership
RightSite Health CEO Jamo Rubin told the Ledger-Enquirer the goal of the service is ”to keep the emergency lanes clear while still making sure every caller gets timely guidance in a safe and supported choice when an ambulance ride and an ER wait aren’t the best fit.”
Rubin said RightSite doesn’t stop at treating patients in the moment but stays involved for up to seven days doing follow-up to make sure the patient got what they needed.
RightSite uses only board-certified emergency medicine doctors, Rubin said, with 12 dedicated to the Columbus program.
For those who have health insurance, the cost of a RightSite telehealth visit is whatever the person’s plan covers, with some plans having a copay, according to Rubin.
Rubin said there is no cost for RightSite services for those without insurance.
Asked whether the program costs anything for Columbus 911, Rubin said, “No, we don’t charge EMS systems. We are partners with EMS.”
When RightSite is contacted by EMS with a patient, Rubin said, RightSite answers the phone in an average of 15 seconds. The ticket with EMS is left open until RightSite calls back closing the ticket, he said.
The doctor’s assessment of the patient happens within minutes, Rubin said. If the doctor believes the patient should go to the ER, he said, RightSite will immediately call back EMS, which then can dispatch an ambulance.
This story was originally published December 16, 2025 at 11:36 AM.