What's New | August 29, 2012

Enhancing Primary Care Access After Emergency Department Visits

Visits to the emergency department (ED) for nonemergent conditions result in unnecessary health costs and overcrowding, and often indicate poor primary care access for those who can least afford to pay for health care.

This issue’s featured Innovations describe a public-private consortium and a partnership between an academic medical center and community-based clinics that reduced nonemergent ED visits and increased access to primary care for Medicaid, uninsured, and underinsured patients, resulting in health care savings.

The featured QualityTools include a series of outreach materials used in a Washington State campaign and a guide for providers aimed at reducing avoidable ED visits.

Featured Innovations:

• Emergency Department–Based Case Managers Throughout County Electronically Schedule Clinic Appointments for Underserved Patients, Allowing Many to Establish a Medical Home

• Formalized, Technology-Enabled Referral Relationships Between Medical Center and Community Clinics Enhance Access and Reduce Inappropriate Emergency Department Visits

Featured QualityTools:

• Care Coordination: Strategies to Reduce Avoidable Emergency Department Use
Developed by MacColl Institute for Healthcare Innovation; Qualis Health; Safety Net Medical Home Initiative

• ER Is for Emergencies
Developed by Washington Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians; Washington State Hospital Association; Washington State Medical Association

Featured Articles:

• Connecting Underserved Patients to Primary Care After Emergency Department Visits: A Conversation With Herbert C. Smitherman Jr., MD, MPH, FACP, President and CEO, Health Centers Detroit Foundation

View Other Issues

Also in This Issue:

Innovations >

• Medical Center Improves Collection and Analysis of Demographic Information, Leading to Better Interpretation Services and Higher Quality Cardiac Care

• Real-Time Decision and Documentation Support Increases Adherence to Recommended Care for Respiratory Infections, Diabetes, and Heart Disease

• Removing Restrictions and Barriers to Supportive Housing for Late-Stage Alcoholics Reduces Alcohol Abuse, Alcohol-Related Symptoms, and Costs
with Story

• School District Uses Policies and Related Programs to Improve Health, Behavior, and Academic Performance of Students with Asthma and Reduce Absenteeism

QualityTools >

• BodyWorks—A Toolkit for Healthy Teens and Strong Families
Developed by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health

• Professional Conduct Toolkit
Developed by Department of Defense (DoD) Patient Safety Program