Fusion medicine meets EMS: Inside Utah’s newest care approach

Inside EMS

When most people see red tape, they stop. Darin Johnson saw an opportunity. In this episode of Inside EMS, Chris and Kelly welcome Darin — a paramedic, operations supervisor and now urgent care owner — to break down how he helped spearhead Utah’s House Bill 14. The goal? Allow paramedics to practice to their full scope outside of traditional EMS settings. What started as a frustrating moment working in mobile IV therapy spiraled into a full-on legislative effort that took over 3 years to realize.

And guess what? It passed.

But Darin didn’t stop there. He then launched Mod Doc, a fusion-style urgent and primary care center in Draper, Utah, run with a team of paramedics, flight nurses and a nurse practitioner. The mission? Community-centered care that blends traditional and holistic approaches — and gives paramedics a real seat at the table.

This episode is a playbook for anyone ready to stop asking “Why not?” and start saying, “Watch this.”

Top quotes from Darin Johnson

• “I'm just trying to create fusion medicine. Kind of like when you go to a restaurant and you get fusion food. I just want to bring all the best parts of medicine together and provide the best care for people so they can have good quality of life.”

• “Paramedics should be expanding their scope of practice. We really should be utilizing our ability to operate in remote environments and in homes and everywhere else.”

• “I had a moment where I just stopped and went, ‘Wait, huh? You'll let me do all these things if I'm working for an EMS agency, but if I have all the same things in place working private than I can't do that.’ And it started this whole journey of wanting to understand why paramedics weren't recognized for their scope of practice in the private setting.”

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