4 ways to reduce non-emergency ER use

With emergency departments (EDs) suffocating under increasing loads of non-emergency patient, the CEO of San Diego's Scripps Health highlights several possible solutions in a commentary in Becker's Hospital Review.

Several actions need to happen to reduce non-emergency use of emergency departments, Van Gorder said. They include:

1. Non-emergency patients must seek treatment from their regular doctor, urgent care or other venue.
2. Hospitals must expand hours and locations, as well as treatment access points including telemedicine. One recent study found that teaming up with senior living communities to offer telemedicine visits reduces ED visits.
3. Organizations must rethink how patients with behavioral health issues are treated, including developing specialty care sites that can address psychiatric emergency, and foster closer collaboration among providers, payers, government and community services--with more funding.

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