ACEP: Frequent ED Users Need Coordinated Care

Over the next three years, the Center will work with hospitals in Pennsylvania, Colorado, California, and Missouri, to coordinate care for "hot spotters," patients who visit EDs four times within a year. The team-based approach involves nurses, social workers, and community health workers.

Model sites, all current safety net providers, include:

• Neighborhood Health Centers of the Lehigh Valley (NHCLV), Allentown, PA
• Metro Community Provider Network (MCPN), Aurora, CO
• Truman Medical Centers (TMC), Kansas City, MO
• MultiCultural Primary Care Medical Group (MPC), San Diego, CA

Rutgers estimates the model will save $67.7 million by diverting 2,500 high frequency ED users to more appropriate channels of care.