Preventable Emergency Department Visits Research Articles

The Multidisciplinary Mobile Unit (MMU) Program Bringing Hospital Specialist Geriatric Competencies at Home: A Feasible Alternative to Admission in Older Patients with Urgent Complaints.

Background/Objectives: Older patients are subject to a high number of Emergency Department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. Innovative strategies to manage geriatric urgencies in the community are thus needed. Methods: In this prospective observational study, we examined the case mix of a hospital-based domiciliary urgent care service tailored to older patients, called Multidisciplinary Mobile Unit (MMU), from January to September 2023. The service, activated by general practitioners or territorial specialists during workdays, provided domiciliary geriatric assessment, point-of-care diagnostics, including multi-site ultrasound and lab tests, and therapeutical measures, including intravenous treatment and insertion of invasive devices, with the goal of reaching on-site stabilization and avoiding ED referral. We collected data regarding multimorbidity, polypharmacy, and frailty according to the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), reasons for MMU activation, and diagnostic and therapeutical services provided. The assessed outcomes were immediate hospitalization after a visit, 30-day admission, and 30-day mortality. Results: Participants (n = 205, 102 M) were mostly aged (median age 83 years old), with multimorbidity and frailty (CFS median 6). The most frequent reasons for MMU activation were dyspnea (49%), cough (34%), and musculoskeletal pain (17%), while the commonest diagnostic test provided was thoracic ultrasound (81%). Only five patients (2.4%) were hospitalized immediately after MMU visit. The 30-day rate of hospitalization was 10.2%, with age, cancer, and abdominal pain as independent predictors on a stepwise binary logistic regression model. 30-day mortality was 4.9%. Conclusions: The MMU model is a feasible strategy to manage geriatric urgencies, especially involving the cardiorespiratory system, is associated with good outcomes and may prevent ED visits.

Homecare workers - an untapped resource in preventing emergency department visits among older individuals? A qualitative interview study from Sweden

BackgroundOlder individuals with functional decline and homecare are frequent visitors to emergency departments (ED). Homecare workers (HCWs) interact regularly with their clients and may play a crucial role in their well-being. Therefore, this study explores if and how HCWs perceive they may contribute to the prevention of ED visits among their clients.MethodsIn this qualitative study, 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted with HCWs from Sweden between July and November 2022. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify barriers and facilitators to prevent ED visits in older home-dwelling individuals.ResultsHCWs want to actively contribute to the prevention of ED visits among clients but observe many barriers that hinder them from doing so. Barriers refer to care organisation such as availability to primary care staff and information transfer; perceived attitudes towards HCWs as co-workers; and client-related factors. Participants suggest that improved communication and collaboration with primary care and discharge information from the ED to homecare services could overcome barriers. Furthermore, they ask for support and geriatric education from primary care nurses which may result in increased respect towards them as competent staff members.ConclusionsHCWs feel that they have an important role in the health management of older individuals living at home. Still, they feel as an untapped resource in the prevention of ED visits. They deem that improved coordination and communication between primary care, ED, and homecare organisations as well as proactive care would enable them to add significantly to the prevention of ED visits.

Assessing the Revised Safer Dx Instrument® in the understanding of ambulatory system design changes for type 1 diabetes and autism spectrum disorder in pediatrics.

We sought within an ambulatory safety study to understand if the Revised Safer Dx instrument may be helpful in identification of diagnostic missed opportunities in care of children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We reviewed two months of emergency department (ED) encounters for all patients at our tertiary care site with T1D and a sample of such encounters for patients with ASD over a 15-month period, and their pre-visit communication methods to better understand opportunities to improve diagnosis. We applied the Revised Safer Dx instrument to each diagnostic journey. We chose potentially preventable ED visits for hyperglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, and behavioral crises, and reviewed electronic health record data over the prior three months related to the illness that resulted in the ED visit. We identified 63 T1D and 27 ASD ED visits. Using theRevised Safer Dx instrument, we did not identify any potentially missed opportunities to improve diagnosis in T1D. We found two potential missed opportunities (Safer Dx overall score of 5) in ASD, related to potential for ambulatory medical management to be improved. Over this period, 40 % of T1D and 52 % of ASD patients used communication prior to the ED visit. Using the Revised Safer Dx instrument, we uncommonly identified missed opportunities to improve diagnosis in patients who presented to the ED with potentially preventable complications of their chronic diseases. Future researchers should consider prospectively collected data as well as development or adaptation of tools like the Safer Dx.

Perspectives of emergency department physicians and nurses on reasons for preventable emergency department visits by patients with cancer

BackgroundPatients with cancer frequently visit the emergency department (ED) for medical care, yet approximately half of ED visits for patients with cancer are thought to be preventable. Preventable ED visits are associated with increased healthcare costs and poor patient experiences and outcomes. The voices of ED providers who work with patients with cancer in their everyday practices have not been solicited as it pertains to preventable visits. ObjectivesThe purpose of this study is to describe the perspectives of ED physicians and nurses on reasons for preventable ED visits by patients with cancer. MethodsA qualitative descriptive design guided the study. We conducted 23 semi-structured interviews with ED physicians and nurses to query them about their perspectives on the reasons for preventable ED visits by patients with cancer. Content analysis was conducted to list and describe the reasons they discussed. ResultsParticipants identified five “medical” and five “non-medical” causes of preventable ED visits. Medical reasons included uncontrolled cancer pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, anemia, fever, and on-going undiagnosed signs and symptoms. Non-medical reasons include patient hesitancy to contact primary care providers, lack of availability or responsiveness of primary providers, lack of access, lack of care coordination, and fears about diagnosis and treatment. ConclusionThe voices of ED providers should be included in discussions about the problem of preventable ED visits by patients with cancer. The reasons supplied by the participants suggest that solutions to the problem will need to occur at the patient, provider, system, and societal levels.

Preventable Emergency Department Visits of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias During the COVID-19 Pandemic by Hospital-Based Health Information Exchange.

Background: This study examined the relationship between hospital-based electronic health information exchange (HIE) and the likelihood of having a preventable emergency department (ED) visit during the COVID-19 pandemic for US patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). Methods: We used multi-level data from six states. The linked data sets included the 2020 State Emergency Department Databases (SEDD), the Area Health Resources File, the American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey, and the AHA Information Technology Supplement to study 85,261 hospital discharges from patients with ADRD. Logistic regression models were produced to determine the odds of having a preventable ED visit among patients with ADRD. Results: Our final sample included 85,261 hospital discharges from patients with ADRD. Patients treated in hospitals that received more types of clinical information for treating patients with COVID-19 from outside providers (OR = 0.961, p < .05) and/or hospitals that received COVID-19 test results from more outside entities were significantly less likely to encounter preventable EDs (OR = 0.964, p < .05), especially among patients who also had multiple chronic conditions (MCC) (OR = 0.89, p = .001; OR = 0.856, p < .001). Conclusion: Our results suggest that electronic HIE may be useful for reducing preventable ED visits during the COVID-19 pandemic for people with ADRD and ADRD alongside MCC.

SARS-CoV-2 Epidemiology and COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Effectiveness Among Infants and Children Aged 6 Months-4 Years - New Vaccine Surveillance Network, United States, July 2022-September 2023.

SARS-CoV-2 infection in young children is often mild or asymptomatic; however, some children are at risk for severe disease. Data describing the protective effectiveness of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines against COVID-19-associated emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalization in this population are limited. Data from the New Vaccine Surveillance Network, a prospective population-based surveillance system, were used to estimate vaccine effectiveness using a test-negative, case-control design and describe the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in infants and children aged 6 months-4 years during July 1, 2022-September 30, 2023. Among 7,434 children included, 5% received a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result, and 95% received a negative test result; 86% were unvaccinated, 4% had received 1 dose of any vaccine product, and 10% had received ≥2 doses. When compared with receipt of no vaccines among children, receipt of ≥2 COVID-19 mRNA vaccine doses was 40% effective (95% CI=8%-60%) in preventing ED visits and hospitalization. These findings support existing recommendations for COVID-19 vaccination of young children to reduce COVID-19-associated ED visits and hospitalization.

Defining and evaluating potentially preventable ED visits in oncology patients including using early machine learning models.

463 Background: Cancer patients are frequent users of the emergency department (ED); preventing such visits is important for improving the quality of cancer care and decreasing health care system burden. This study describes oncology ED visits at a single institution, and seeks to define a novel definition of potentially preventable ED visits (PPEDs), particularly considering novel cancer therapies. It also uses machine learning (ML) to create early models to predict patients at highest risk of PPEDs. Methods: A retrospective study of ED visits by oncology patients between April 1st, 2019 and April 1st, 2021 at a single academic institution was completed. PPEDs were defined as ED visits resulting in discharge from the ED or an admission of less than 48 hours. PPEDs versus non-PPEDs were evaluated using descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and machine learning (ML) modelling. Results: 17% of cancer patients (n=6,689) had 13,415 ED visits during the study period. PPEDs differed in characteristics from non-PPEDs. Stage 1-3 patients with breast cancer, and those on IV systemic therapy were more likely to have PPEDs.Logistic regression models of pre-ED visit variables showed that stage, distance, and neoadjuvant systemic therapy were associated with PPEDs. Logistic regression of ED visit-related variables revealed that genitourinary, eye, or skin-related diagnoses were associated with PPEDs. The highest-performing ML model scored an AUC of 0.819, and combined pre-ED visit and ED visit related variables; stage 1-3 breast cancer patients, all IV chemotherapy patients, and stage 4 patients living within 15km of the ED, or with GI, oral or female gynecologic cancers were associated with PPEDs. ED diagnoses of “cancer” and MSK issues were associated with PPEDs. For those patients on IV systemic therapy specifically, having breast cancer, having a palliative consult within 60 days of the ED visit, or presenting with ED diagnoses of toxicities from therapy or blood disorders, pain, or rash were associated with PPEDs. Conclusions: Our novel definition of PPEDs versus non-PPEDs appears reasonable, and using machine learning has helped to describe groups of patients at highest likelihood of such visits at our institution. Future work to validate and advance these models into clinical prediction tools and algorithms could help proactively target high risk patients, and ideally decrease preventable ED visits in oncology.

Unplanned Emergency Department Visits Following Revision Total Joint Arthroplasty: Incidences, Risk Factors, and Mortalities

BackgroundThe incidence of unplanned emergency department (ED) visits following revision total joint arthroplasty is an indicator of the quality of postoperative care. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidences, timings, and characteristics of ED visits within 90 days after revision total joint arthroplasty. MethodsA retrospective review of 457 consecutive cases, including 254 revision total hip arthroplasty (rTHA) and 203 revision total knee arthroplasty (rTKA) cases, was conducted. Data regarding patient demographics, timings of the ED encounter, chief complaints, readmissions, and diagnoses indicating reoperation were analyzed. ResultsThe results showed that 41 patients who had rTHA (16.1%) and 14 patients who had rTKA (6.9%) returned to the ED within 90 days postoperatively. The incidence of ED visits was significantly higher in the rTHA group than in the rTKA group (P = .003). The most common surgery-related complications were dislocation among rTHA patients and wound conditions among rTKA patients. Apart from elevated calculated comorbidity scores, peptic ulcer in rTHA patients and cerebral vascular events and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in rTKA patients might increase chances of unplanned ED visits. Patients who had ED visits showed significantly higher mortality rates than the others in both rTHA and rTKA cohorts (P = .050 and P = .008, respectively). ConclusionsThe ED visits within 90 days are more common after rTHA than after rTKA. Patients in both ED visit groups after rTHA and rTKA demonstrated worse survival. Efforts should be made to improve quality of care to prevent ED visits.

Quality dashboards: Uncovering potential health disparities.

e18567 Background: A number of demographic characteristics and social determinants of health have been demonstrated to impact cancer outcomes. It is essential to assess quality metrics stratified by these characteristics so that potential disparities may be identified and addressed amongst marginalized populations. Methods: We examined our Cancer Center’s quality dashboard’s quality metrics and identified which could be stratified by race, ethnicity, language preference, sexual identity, and gender. Databases included Vizient, Press Ganey, Tumor Registry, and our institution’s performance reports. Where data was available, we conducted cross-group comparisons to assess for differences in outcomes. ANOVA and Fisher’s exact tests were performed to compare groups. A P-value of &lt; 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the 13 metrics, six (46%) could be stratified by demographic characteristics (likelihood to recommend the practice, mortality index, length of stay index, 30-day readmission, return to the operating room, adequate lymph node sampling). Six (46%) could not be stratified due to a lack of demographic information (new patient access, medication harm events, distress screening, preventable admissions, preventable emergency department visits, survivorship care plan). One metric was not at the patient-level, and thus did not apply to our investigation (non-template chemotherapy orders). More White patients (86.1%) were very likely to recommend the practice compared to Black (72.1%) or Asian patients (60.1%) (P &lt; 0.001). Additionally, significantly more English speakers were likely to recommend the practice than non-English speakers (84% vs. 65%; P &lt; 0.001). A significant difference was found in the 30-day readmission rate when stratified by race (White [8.2%] vs. Black [8.8%] vs. Asian [10.6%] vs. other [14.5%] vs. unknown [1.0%]; P = 0.02). No significant group differences were found in mortality index, length of stay, the proportion of adequate lymph node sampling, or returning to the operating room. Notably, the proportion of patients with “unknown” race and ethnicity ranging from 3.9%-17.5% for five metrics, represented the second largest group behind White race and non-Hispanic ethnicity. Conclusions: Less than half of the quality dashboard’s core metrics could be stratified by demographic characteristics. Even when data was available, the high frequency of missing data identifies a need for improved data collection accuracy so that more meaningful assessments can be made. Existing data suggests a disparity exists for patients of limited English proficiency having a lower satisfaction with the practice. This warrants further exploration in order to close gaps in cancer quality outcomes.

Trends and characteristics of potentially preventable emergency department visits among patients with cancer in the US.

e13643 Background: An initial step to reducing emergency department (ED) visits among patients with cancer is to identify the characteristics of patients visiting the ED and examine which of those visits could be prevented. The objective of this study was to explore nationwide trends and characteristics of ED visits and examine factors associated with potentially preventable ED visits and unplanned hospitalizations among patients with cancer in the US. Methods: This cross-sectional study used data on ED visits from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2019; US Cancer Statistics reports were used to estimate new cancer cases each year. Frequencies and trends of ED visits by adult patients (aged ≥18 years) with cancer were calculated. The primary outcome was potentially preventable ED visits (using the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services definition), and secondary outcomes were hospitalizations and the immediacy of the ED visits. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the associations of patient, hospital, and temporal factors with potentially preventable ED use and ED use resulting in hospitalization. Results: Among 854911106 ED visits, 35510014 (4.2%) were made by patients with cancer (mean [SD] age, 66.2 [16.2] years); of those, 55.2% of visits were among women, 73.2% were among non-Hispanic White individuals, 89.8% were among patients living in a private residence, and 54.3% were among Medicare enrollees. A total of 18 316 373 ED visits (51.6%) were identified as potentially preventable, and 5 770 571 visits (21.3%) were classified as high acuity. From 2012 to 2019, potentially preventable ED visits increased from 1 851 692 to 3 214 276. Pain (36.9%) was the most common reason for potentially preventable ED visits. The number of patients who visited an ED because of pain increased from 1 192 197 in 2012 to 2 405 849 in 2019 (a 101.8% increase). Overall, 28.9% of ED visits resulted in unplanned hospitalizations, which did not change significantly over time (from 32.2% in 2012 to 26.6% in 2019; P = .78 for trend). Factors such as residence in a nursing home (odds ratio, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.25-2.41) were positively associated with having a potentially preventable ED visit, and factors such as the presence of more than 1 comorbidity (odds ratio, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.43-2.32) were positively associated with having an unplanned hospitalization. Conclusions: In this study, 51.6% of ED visits among patients with cancer were identified as potentially preventable, and the absolute number of potentially preventable ED visits increased substantially between 2012 and 2019. These findings highlight the need for cancer care programs to implement evidence-based interventions to better manage cancer treatment complications, such as uncontrolled pain, in outpatient and ambulatory settings.

A082 Sociodemographic Factors Leading to Preventable Emergency Department Visits after Bariatric Surgery: A Single Institution Analysis

A082 Sociodemographic Factors Leading to Preventable Emergency Department Visits after Bariatric Surgery: A Single Institution Analysis

Retrospective study of cancer patients’ predictive factors of care in a large, Hungarian tertiary care centre

ObjectivesTo identify predictive factors of multiple emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalisation and potentially preventable ED visits made by patients with cancer in a Hungarian tertiary care centre.DesignObservational, retrospective study.SettingA large,...

Health care utilization and potentially preventable adverse outcomes of high-need, high-cost middle-aged and older adults: Needs for integrated care models with life-course approach

Purpose of the researchThe success of modern health care increases life expectancy and prolongs the days of having multimorbidity and functional limitations; the so-defined “high need, high cost (HNHC)” state represents the extreme scenarios of care burden and complexity. This study aims to explore health care utilization and the risk of preventable adverse outcomes stratified by age and HNHC state. Materials and methodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study using the National Health Insurance (NHI) database. People aged ≥40 years were included and further stratified by age (middle-aged: 40–64 and older adults: 65) and HNHC state (top 10% of spending). Health care utilization and drug consumption across different groups were obtained. The multimorbidity frailty index (mFI) was developed for further analysis. Cox regression models were used to examine the associations between HNHC and adverse clinical outcomes (preventable hospitalizations, preventable emergency department visits, and mortality). ResultsHNHC participants were older, had a higher mFI and drug consumption, and had higher health care utilization. Compared with non-HNHC participants, HNHC participants exhibited a 4.4-fold and 2.4-fold higher risk of preventable hospitalizations in middle-aged (HR=4.41; 95% CI, 4.17–4.65, p<0.01) and older adults (HR=2.44; 95% CI, 2.34–2.55, p<0.01). Similar risks were observed for preventable emergency department visits and mortality (all p<0.01). ConclusionsThe HNHC state substantially increased health care utilization, polypharmacy, and potentially preventable adverse outcomes after adjustment for frailty. Intervention studies developing integrated care models using the life-course approach are needed to improve the quality of health care systems in super-aged societies.

Evaluating a Care Management Program for Dual-Eligible Beneficiaries: Evidence from Rhode Island.

As health systems attempt to contain utilization and costs, care management programs are proliferating. However, there are mixed findings on their impact. In 2018, Rhode Island initiated a care management program for dually eligible Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries at high risk of hospitalization or institutionalization. The objective of this study is to evaluate the association between health care utilization and costs and care management for dual-eligible participants (n = 169). The authors employed an interrupted time series analysis of administrative claims data using the Rhode Island All Payer Claims Database, which includes data from all major payers in the state, for 11 quarters (January 1, 2017 until September 1, 2019). On average, participants were younger (46.2% were 19-64 years of age vs. 41.9% of non-participants), female (71% vs. 62.6% of non-participants), and had a higher comorbidity burden (more commonly had anemia, atrial fibrillation, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression, diabetes, heart failure, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and stroke). Participation was associated with significantly fewer hospital admissions (118 fewer admissions per 1000 admissions per quarter; 95% confidence interval [CI] -11 to -22), and a reduction in Medicaid ($1841 less spent per quarter, 95% CI -2407 to -1275) and total ($2570 less spent per quarter; 95% CI -$4645 to -$495) costs. Participation was not significantly associated with a change in Emergency Department (ED) visits, preventable ED visits, Skilled Nursing Facility stays, or Medicare costs. These results suggest that targeted care management programs may provide dual-eligible beneficiaries with needed services while diverting inefficient health care utilization.

Trends and Characteristics of Potentially Preventable Emergency Department Visits Among Patients With Cancer in the US

An initial step to reducing emergency department (ED) visits among patients with cancer is to identify the characteristics of patients visiting the ED and examine which of those visits could be prevented. To explore nationwide trends and characteristics of ED visits and examine factors associated with potentially preventable ED visits and unplanned hospitalizations among patients with cancer in the US. This cross-sectional study used data on ED visits from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2019; US Cancer Statistics reports were used to estimate new cancer cases each year. Frequencies and trends among 35 510 014 ED visits by adult patients (aged ≥18 years) with cancer were calculated. The primary outcome was potentially preventable ED visits, and secondary outcomes were unplanned hospitalizations and the immediacy of the ED visits. Potentially preventable ED visits were identified using the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services definition. The Emergency Severity Index, a triage algorithm that ranks patients based on the urgency of their health care condition, was used to measure the immediacy of ED visits (immediate [most urgent], emergent, urgent, less urgent, and nonurgent), with the categories of immediate and emergent classified as high acuity. The Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to calculate trends in ED visits among patients with cancer over time. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the associations of patient, hospital, and temporal factors with potentially preventable ED use and ED use resulting in hospitalization. Among 854 911 106 ED visits, 35 510 014 (4.2%) were made by patients with cancer (mean [SD] age, 66.2 [16.2] years); of those, 55.2% of visits were among women, 73.2% were among non-Hispanic White individuals, 89.8% were among patients living in a private residence, and 54.3% were among Medicare enrollees. A total of 18 316 373 ED visits (51.6%) were identified as potentially preventable, and 5 770 571 visits (21.3%) were classified as high acuity. From 2012 to 2019, potentially preventable ED visits increased from 1 851 692 to 3 214 276. Pain (36.9%) was the most common reason for potentially preventable ED visits. The number of patients who visited an ED because of pain increased from 1 192 197 in 2012 to 2 405 849 in 2019 (a 101.8% increase). Overall, 28.9% of ED visits resulted in unplanned hospitalizations, which did not change significantly over time (from 32.2% in 2012 to 26.6% in 2019; P = .78 for trend). Factors such as residence in a nursing home (odds ratio, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.25-2.41) were positively associated with having a potentially preventable ED visit, and factors such as the presence of more than 1 comorbidity (odds ratio, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.43-2.32) were positively associated with having an unplanned hospitalization. In this study, 51.6% of ED visits among patients with cancer were identified as potentially preventable, and the absolute number of potentially preventable ED visits increased substantially between 2012 and 2019. These findings highlight the need for cancer care programs to implement evidence-based interventions to better manage cancer treatment complications, such as uncontrolled pain, in outpatient and ambulatory settings.

Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Preventable Hospitalizations And ED Visits Five Years After ACA Medicaid Expansions.

Medicaid expansions under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) dramatically increased access to insurance coverage. We examined whether the 2014 ACA Medicaid expansions also mitigated existing racial or ethnic disparities in preventable hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits. Using inpatient data from twenty-nine states and ED data from twenty-six states for the period 2011-18, we found that Medicaid expansions decreased disparities in preventable hospitalizations and ED visits between non-Hispanic Black and White nonelderly adults by 10percent or more. There were no significant effects on disparities between Hispanic and non-Hispanic White nonelderly adults, possibly reflecting lower baseline differences and, separately, persisting coverage disparities. These findings highlight sustained improvements in community-level care for non-Hispanic Black populations, who historically lack access to care. Our findings also suggest access barriers experienced by Hispanic adults that need to be addressed beyond Medicaid eligibility expansion.

Evaluation of the impact of an oncology urgent care clinic on preventable emergency department visits.

338 Background: OP-35 is a publicly reported quality metric aimed at reducing preventable emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations in patients with cancer on chemotherapy. During the COVID-19 surge, one academic medical center opened the Respiratory Emergent Evaluation Service (REES) Unit, an urgent care clinic for patients with cancer and symptoms of COVID-19. In addition to preventing potential COVID-19 exposures in the clinic, this oncology-staffed urgent care evaluated patients who may have otherwise presented to the ED. We investigated the association between the REES urgent care clinic and patient ED evaluations for OP-35 diagnoses. Methods: This single center retrospective analysis included patients with cancer receiving infusion and oral chemotherapy who presented to the ED within 30 days of treatment. ED visits occurred between 1/2019-12/2021, including when the REES unit was open (3/2020-6/2021). Preventable ED visits were defined as having one of ten primary diagnoses, which have been identified by OP-35. Of these, COVID-related diagnoses included fever, pneumonia, sepsis, neutropenia and diarrhea. Interrupted time series analyses were utilized to investigate the association between the REES unit opening and preventable ED visits. Results: 3,107 patients on chemotherapy were assessed in the ED from 1/2019-12/2021. Per week, there were 19.9 ED visits, 39.7% of which were for OP-35 diagnoses. When the REES unit opened, there was a 30% (95% CI -53% to -7%) reduction in preventable ED visits, corresponding to 2.62 (95% CI -4.61 to -0.63) fewer preventable ED evaluations per week. The primary driver of this reduction were presentations for COVID-related diagnoses, as there were 38% (95% CI -76% to -0.3%) fewer preventable ED visits weekly. During this period, there were approximately 6.9 patient visits per week to the REES unit. Conclusions: The introduction of an oncology urgent care clinic focusing on patients with symptoms of COVID-19 was associated with a reduction in potentially preventable ED visits. This analysis demonstrates the potential value of oncology urgent care clinics in reducing ED overcrowding and decreasing OP-35 related evaluations, which has patient experience, infection exposure and financial implications.[Table: see text]

Reducing preventable ED visits in patients with advanced NSCLC: Collective insights from three cancer centers.

337 Background: While many patients with advanced NSCLC have complex medical needs, emergency department (ED) visits may be preventable if clinicians predict, identify and treat symptoms early and deliver outpatient interventions. The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) evaluated how cancer centers participating in a multi-phase initiative found ways to reduce preventable ED visits in patients with advanced NSCLC. Methods: After holding QI workshops, ACCC followed-up with three centers located in AL, OK, and OH. These centers aimed to improve lung cancer symptom management, patient education, and care coordination related to the CMS Measure #OP-35 diagnoses: dehydration, diarrhea, emesis, nausea, pain, or pneumonia. Results: Patient Education and Reminders: Patients who undergo systemic treatment often need to be reminded to call their medical oncology team if they develop symptoms. Examples of effective practices include: a patient education and reminder campaign to “call-first” before visiting the ED; wallet cards with phone numbers; and ongoing reminders whenever patients come for infusion or clinician visits. Intensive Care Coordination: Some patients with advanced NSCLC may be “high risk” for ED utilization (eg, co-morbidities, social determinants, etc.). Intensive care coordination delivered by nurses may be directed specifically at these patients. Interventions may include scheduled phone calls and/or telehealth visits to assess symptoms and coordinate outpatient interventions. Immune-related Adverse Events (irAEs): Patients with advanced NSCLC may receive immune checkpoint inhibitors which may cause irAEs. Colitis may lead to dehydration, diarrhea, emesis, nausea; pneumonitis may be misdiagnosed as pneumonia. One center began using a patient symptom questionnaire delivered by a nurse navigator and managed 94% of irAE symptoms in the outpatient setting. Another center surveyed ED providers to assess gaps in identifying irAE symptoms an formed a multidisciplinary irAE work group to discuss patient management and facilitate increased awareness and early recognition. These efforts led to a series of education programs for ED staff. Early Palliative Care: Since early palliative care is associated with reduced ED utilization, one center streamlined palliative care referrals in the outpatient setting by developing an electronic pathway. 91% of patients with advanced cancer enrolled after initial consult; only 24% made an ED visit. Conclusions: While many ED visits are necessary, some may be preventable, especially if members of the multidisciplinary cancer care team risk-stratify patients, proactively identify and empower patients to “call first,” treat symptoms early, and provide early palliative care. The collective insights from these cancer centers provide guidance around sustainable strategies that can potentially reduce preventable ED visits.

181 Hospital System Acute Care at Home to Prevent Emergency Department Visits

Previously, the use of acute hospital-level care at home (hospital-at-home) for patients who are chronically ill has led to decreased medical costs, amount of sedentary time for patients, and hospital readmissions. Our large integrated health care system identified the need to develop a mechanism through which to prevent frequent emergency department (ED) visits in chronically ill patients and hospital admissions for patients requiring limited hospital resources. We addressed this by creating a home acute care program called Urgent Dispatch.

Does the definition of preventable emergency department visit matter? An empirical analysis using 20 million visits in Ontario and Alberta.

This study had two objectives: (1) to estimate the prevalence of preventable emergency department (ED) visits during the 2016-2020 time period among those living in 19 large urban centers in Alberta and Ontario, Canada, and (2) to assess if the definition of preventable ED visits matters in estimating the prevalence. A retrospective, population-based study of ED visits that were reported to the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System from April 1, 2016, to March 31, 2020, was conducted. Preventable ED visits were operationalized based on the following approaches: (1) Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS), (2) ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSC), (3) family practice-sensitive conditions (FPSC), and (4) sentinel nonurgent conditions (SNC). The overall proportion of ED visits that were preventable was estimated. We also estimated the adjusted relative risks of preventable ED visits by patients' sex and age, fiscal year, province of residence, and census metropolitan area (CMA) of residence. There were 20,171,319 ED visits made by 8,919,618 patients ages 1 to 74 who resided in one of the 19 CMAs in Alberta or Ontario. On average, there were 2.26 visits per patient over the period of 4 fiscal years; most patients made one (44.22%) or two ED visits (20.72%). The overall unadjusted prevalence of preventable ED visits varied by definition; 35.33% of ED visits were defined as preventable based on CTAS, 12.88% based on FPSC, 3.41% based on SNC, and 2.33% based on ACSC. There is a substantial level of variation in prevalence estimates across definitions of preventable ED visits, and care should be taken when interpreting these estimates as each has a different meaning and may lead to different conclusions. The conceptualization and measurement of preventable ED visits is complex and multifaceted and may not be adequately captured by a single definition.