Pacific Northwest Inlander December 2, 2019
It’s a surprisingly icy and snowy morning in Spokane Valley — especially when considering that it’s early October. And Christina Duncan, a nurse practitioner for DispatchHealth, an on-demand mobile medical service that makes house calls, bringing urgent care services right into people’s homes, is preparing to start the workday. She and an EMT are loading up a small, brightly marked car with medical supplies and equipment, such as a portable $10,000 machine that can do instant on-site blood tests.
Their job? Respond to requests for service for issues ranging from the common cold to fractures and respiratory issues. Patients can request a visit through a phone app, the company’s website, or with a phone call. It’s like Uber, but for...