A new program piloted by a Baltimore hospital and a Maryland healthcare non-profit aims to reduce emergency department (ED) use among patients with non-urgent or chronic conditions, according to Sinai Hospital.
The Access Health Program, piloted by Sinai Hospital and HealthCare Access Maryland, stations coordinators inside the hospital’s ED to identify and target potential participants, such as those who have visited four or more times for primary or specialty care during a four-month period.
Once navigators recruit patients to the program, they provide them with information on community resources for the conditions that keep them returning to the ED.
Navigators personalize a care plan for all participants in the program, giving them up to 90 days to resolve challenges such as lack of transportation, substance abuse and mental illness issues, prescription costs and childcare.
