On-The-Go Medical Care? ParaDocs says it's no Paradox

The medical mishaps that rise in tandem with the temperature are a business opportunity for some. Alex Pollak, an emergency medical technician and founder of Paradocs, hopes his three-year-old company will hit $2 million in revenue in 2015.

Paradocs provides on-site medical staffing for clubs, fundraisers and outdoor festivals. "We never send a bill to the patient," Mr. Pollak said. "Everything's paid for upfront by the [event's] producer."

The company took in "just over $1 million" last year, he added.

In New York, public events that attract more than 5,000 people are required to provide their own security. Mr. Pollak's company works everything from fashion shows to the Electric Zoo festival. High-end events will often opt for Paradocs' services to avoid a disruption if a medical emergency brings an ambulance to the scene, Mr. Pollak said.

The company has a part-time staff of 400, mostly paramedics and EMTs, who are paid per diem. Although Paradocs will send a patient to the hospital for a medical emergency, that scenario happens in less than 1% of cases, Mr. Pollak estimated.

"We don't care about the billing, so we treat a lot more [patients on-site] than an ambulance company that's incentivized to take people over to the hospital," he said.

Article originally posted at: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20150507/HEALTH_CARE/150509896/on-the-go-medical-care-paradocs-says-its-no-paradox

David Barbosa