This article is sponsored by Life Health Group. In this Voices interview, Home Health Care News speaks with Dr. Mark Merlin, Chief Medical Officer of Life Mobile Care, about the expansion of mobile urgent care services in New Jersey. Designed to bring clinical support directly to homes and facilities, Life Mobile Care delivers on-site evaluations, antibiotics, EKGs, X-rays, blood work and suturing—working in coordination with primary care providers to improve patient outcomes. Dr. Merlin shares his perspective on how this model is redefining access to care and advancing the role of mobile services in today’s home health landscape.
Home Health Care News: What is your background, and how does that experience inform your current role at Life Mobile Care?
Dr. Mark Merlin: I am a physician trained in Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Medicine. I have served 10 years as a leader in NJ EMS Association and the last 4 years as the Chair of the NJ EMS Council. Previously, I served as the Chief Medical Officer and System Medical Director of MONOC, which was New Jersey’s largest EMS system with 800 ALS providers and 23 paramedic units to 325 municipalities in the state of New Jersey. Life Health Group and the services that they provide to the community serve as a perfect fit for my experience as a physician.
What are the main benefits of mobile urgent care for patients and the facilities where they live or receive care?
Life Mobile Care brings more to the patient than what is available in the typical local urgent care. Patients can receive care at the facility they live at or in their own homes. This is truly bedside urgent care that is individualized to meet the patient’s health care needs in the comfort of their residence
What are some of the key services Life Mobile Care provides in a typical visit?
Mobile care visits can include a number of treatments such as IV Fluids, IV antibiotics, oral antibiotics, skin care, PPD testing, X rays, skin glue, suturing and assessment of upper respiratory infections, sinus infections, urinary tract infections and pneumonia. With Life Mobile Care, many emergency department visits can be avoided which often delay patient care and expose patients to additional infections.
Is your team able to dispense medication on-site? How does that capability impact the patient experience and support facility staff?
Yes we carry over 50 medications. Life Mobile Care can prescribe and administer medication to avoid any delays to the start of treatment.. This allows the recovery process to start immediately by providing rapid treatment, rather than waiting for a pharmacy to fill the prescription and have it delivered, or putting the patient or family in the position to have to leave the residence to obtain the prescription
What is the typical turnaround time for mobile X-rays, and how does that affect clinical decision-making or patient outcomes?
Life Mobile Care can typically get to a facility or patient within 1.5 hours. Currently our board certified radiologists are providing reading in ten minutes after the x-ray is taken As a result, the patient can move forward with a treatment plan immediately. Adaptive equipment or follow-up testing could be provided or ordered and the patient’s plan of care is developed in a more targeted and personalized manner.
How does Life Mobile Care coordinate with primary care physicians? What does that collaboration look like in practice?
Life Mobile Care works in conjunction with the patient’s physician to coordinate the most individualized plan of care. We provide the services based on the recommendations that the patient’s primary physician has requested. When trying to prevent an Emergency room visit and subsequent hospitalization, time matters. We are on the move to treat the patient ASAP. Physicians work with Life Mobile to target the immediate concerns of the patient and rely on us to provide them with timely reports to better meet the needs of their patients. By coordinating care with the patient’s physician, we are assisting them with real time results so that the physician can immediately determine a course of treatment in conjunction with our team.
Finish this sentence: In the home-based care industry, 2025 will be defined by…
…the ability of providers to meet the personalized needs of patients in a rapid and precise manner.
By treating patients in their own residences and avoiding emergency room visits and hospitalizations, the needs of patients will be the priority. Life Mobile Care can provide these services that will assist physicians in caring for their patients and avoid delays in treatment for those they care for with quality medical providers and innovative technology.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Life Mobile Care is your personal local urgent care that comes to you.
The Voices Series is a sponsored content program featuring leading executives discussing trends, topics and more shaping their industry in a question-and-answer format. For more information on Voices, please contact [email protected].
