Identifying emergency department ’regulars’ can improve throughput

The following article by Pamela O'Donnell, an emergency department case manager at University Hospital, Upstate Medical Center, in Syracuse, NY. It is adapted from HCPro’s newest resource for hospital case managers—www.CaseManagementMentor.com—a free blog dedicated to connecting hospital case managers to industry pacesetters, peers, and best practices.

It’s safe to say that every emergency department (ED) sees its fair share of “frequent fliers”—patients who seem to use the ED instead of other healthcare resources in the community. Knowing the players, specifically the ED clientele, can help an ED case manager address issues that affect throughput.

In the past year, the case management team at University Hospital, Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, NY established a pilot program, modeled on programs in other hospitals. The hospital generated a list of ED frequent fliers during the previous six-month period. We identified a group of patients who frequent the ED and have primary care providers within the same hospital system. Using a team approach, case managers and outpatient social workers worked to address barriers in the patients’ lives that may cause them to use the ED instead of their primary care physicians.

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