Avoiding Non-essential Emergency Department Visits

If they don't need acute care, patients should be encouraged to avoid the hospital.

A version of this article was first published February 10, 2021, by HCPro's Revenue Cycle Advisor, a sibling publication to HealthLeaders.

Q: With novel coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns still persisting, patients should be avoiding emergency department (ED) visits when possible. How can case managers help in this process?

A: There is more to consider than just vaccines when it comes to COVID-19 prevention. Patients should also be encouraged to avoid emergency department (ED) visits whenever possible to cut down on virus exposure.

“Many patients are under the misconception that they are safer in the hospital,” says Marie Stinebuck, MBA, MSN, RN, ACM, Phoenix-area case management director. But that’s not true. People are more likely to be infected with the coronavirus there than they would be at home.

If they don’t need acute care, patients should be encouraged to avoid the hospital. However, this doesn’t mean they should go without needed care.

“Just because you need medical care doesn’t mean you need to come to the hospital,” says Tiffany Ferguson, LMSW, ACM of Phoenix Medical Management. “You should be encouraged to pick up the phone and call your primary care doctor, your case manager, or take advantage of one of the many telehealth options.”

Case managers can make it more likely that patients will take advantage of non-emergency health resources by giving them clear instructions and contact information about whom to call for non-acute problems they may experience after discharge. This can help people avoid the ED, and potentially a COVID-19 infection.

For more on this topic, see February's issue of Case Management Monthly.

Editor's note: This story was updated on May 10, 2021.