Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

About half of the 911 responses in the District are to low-acuity events, most of which don’t require emergency services. These cases reduce the Emergency Medical Services network’s capacity to respond to more severe emergencies. The District will pilot a 911 Nurse Triage Line (NTL) program, aimed at helping residents navigate the District’s primary health care system. The goal is to relieve emergency resources while ensuring that low-acuity patients, including those with chronic conditions, are better served with the most suitable care. Individuals calling into the 911 system who are determined to be NTL-eligible, using algorithmically-driven protocols, will be randomly assigned to either receive NTL services or be treated as they would be under the current status quo. We will compare outcomes for the two groups to estimate the causal impact of the NTL on Emergency Department use, Primary Care Physician use, health outcomes, 911 use, ambulance use, health expenditures, and DC’s health system.