Strategies to Reduce Unnecessary Use of the Emergency Department Rising emergency wait times and budget shortfalls, coupled with increasing quality demands, should lead hospital administrators to implement multiple strategies to control ED use in the upcoming years. Several strategies suggested include (1)increase patient education, (2) provide alternative sites of primary care for non-urgent conditions, (3) align financial incentives between quality and cost, and (4) improve care coordination and management.
Patient Education Fostering patient awareness should be the first step in stopping the inappropriate use of the ED. The severity of a patient’s condition is often overestimated forcing many patients to seek care at the ED even though
Patient Education Fostering patient awareness should be the first step in stopping the inappropriate use of the ED. The severity of a patient’s condition is often overestimated forcing many patients to seek care at the ED even though