AURORA | In Aurora, now a 911 call to dispatchers can bring urgent medical advice and care, but not necessarily a fire truck ambulance.
“This is an alternative pathway that some low acuity calls will be routed to to get effective care.” Aurora Fire and Rescue Medical Director Eric Hill said.
Whereas a call to 911 almost always resulted in firefighters and medics showing up at a house to make sure a patient got hold of a doctor or found a way to connect with needed medications, now, when people call 911 in Aurora, they can be connected by phone or computer with emergency medical professionals at national telemedicine provided MD Ally for lower-level emergencies.
Aurora911 and Aurora Fire Rescue have partnered to enhance their emergency care operations with a new capability, beginning Feb. 4, that virtually connects certain low-acuity 911 medical calls to emergency physicians, according to a statement.
911 callers are asked a series of questions designed to help the dispatcher determine the severity of the emergency. They use that information to decide how to respond, such as sending fire, medical, or police, or a combination of them, the Director of Aurora911, Tina Buneta, said in a video explaining the change.
In a city where firefighter and police resources are at a premium, the new system will provide services residents need, but not always in person, officials say.
Aurora’s ability to offer this service will allow the more dire situations to be handled by emergency responses while people with less severe needs are still being taken care of.
The new service, dubbed Aurora Clinical Navigation, allows people calling Aurora911 for non-emergent, low-acuity needs to connect with a U.S.-based, licensed physician by phone or video without leaving their home.
Treatment will be available for a wide range of conditions, including mild infections, minor injuries and the management of chronic conditions, according to fire and rescue officials.
Through the service, the physician can have prescriptions delivered to the patient, connect them with mental health and crisis support services or arrange transportation to a healthcare facility if necessary, the statement said.
This service frees up time for often-overwhelmed responders, dispatchers, ambulances and emergency rooms.
“Maybe they don’t need an ambulance, or they don’t need an ambulance and a fire truck,” Buneta said in a statement. “We now have a resource available that can meet that person where they are.”
The services can be used by adults, children, seniors, and at-risk populations, and they also support nearly 250 languages to help bridge communication gaps.
“Enhanced clinical navigation could save patients a trip to the hospital, thereby saving emergency transportation fees and providing faster access to a physician compared to waiting for transportation and triage at the emergency room,” Hill said in a statement.
The service, which is made possible through an agreement with MD Ally, aligns with Fire and Rescue’s Right Response approach.
It is anticipated that this service will reduce call volume to Aurora911 in the near term by approximately 15 calls per day, or 1.5% of Aurora Fire and Rescue’s overall call volume.
Aurora Fire and Rescue’s overall call volume for 2025 was 48,099, with an average weekly call volume of 909 calls and 132 calls daily, Strategic Communications Manager Dawn Small said.
City officials said the service is free, to a point, and similar to how people don’t get billed when a firefighter or EMT shows up to help with general needs, city and MD Ally officials said. While the virtual consultation is free, additional costs apply if medical services are provided, such as prescriptions issued for medications.
“Ambulance service is a fairly substantial charge, and obviously, for emergency rooms, there’s a charge,” said Aurora Fire Rescue Training Division Chief Mark Hays. “We’re starting to find that a lot of people don’t have a lot of options for medical care, and rather than using the 911 system or 911 care, there’s a better way to serve them. This gets them to care and the services they need, whether it’s medication, mental health, consultation or even, you know, my back’s been hurting.”
While city officials did not detail the costs of services and savings, previous reporting and public information indicates that ambulance services in Aurora range from about $1,400-$2,000, depending on the carrier and services provided. South Metro Fire Rescue, which serves Centennial and Arapahoe County, posts its ambulance fees, which start at $1,800.
Many local urgent care providers do not publish rates for services. UC Health offers extensive detail online, with “prompt pay” urgent care visits costing $155 and other services, including X-rays costing about $400.
Numerous telemedicine providers are now available online, including through Amazon. The cost of an online telemedicine visit through their One Medical service is $59. Online Sesame Care offers telemedicine urgent care visits, which include issuing prescriptions, starting at $34, according to their online price lists. Users can choose among a wide variety of providers and specialities.
MD Ally officials say they work with major insurance companies and health maintenance organizations in Colorado, but neither the city nor MD Ally would provide quotes for their specific services with or without insurance.
Officials said the service is fast.
“Once a caller meets clinical criteria for telehealth and the connection is made in 16 seconds on
Average,” MD Ally spokesperson Michael Guadan said. “The caller is speaking with an emergency medicine physician in under 9 minutes.”
Where some online telemedicine providers might offer services from nurses, nurse practitioners or physician assistants, MD Ally offers telemedicine through the Aurora 911 program solely with medical doctors, Guadan said.
Spokespeople from both MD Ally and Aurora Fire Rescue said individuals who call 911 and then use the service will be informed at the time what charges could be.
Some examples of services included emergency prescriptions for conditions such as gout complaints or seizures, as well as consultations for lingering pain from injuries. They can also provide mental health resources or help in the case of a mental health crisis.
The City of Aurora is MD Ally’s first partnership in Colorado, one of the five states with the highest average annual emergency medical services transport mileage, according to the statement. MD Ally is also available in Arizona, California and Florida.
“We believe that telemedicine can truly make a difference in the care that patients receive, while reducing the strain on first responders and agencies striving to keep pace with growing populations and increasing call volume,” MD Ally CEO and founder Shanel Fields said in a statement.