Reducing emergency room use by targeting 'super utilizers'

Matthew Hardy didn't know why he sometimes felt so sick, but the 28-year-old Park Heights resident felt bad enough that he would go to the emergency room, mostly at Sinai Hospital, often by ambulance. He went eight times in a four-month period earlier this year. "I didn't know what was going on with my health," he said. Hardy was what's known in the medical community as a "super utilizer," someone who uses a disproportionate amount of care. In an effort to reduce costs and the burden on the system, hospitals and other medical care providers have begun targeting those patients who frequently tap emergency care by connecting them with resources to tackle underlying problems.