Report Says Health Centers Could Cut Excessive ED Visits
Community health centers can play an influential role in reducing non-urgent visits to hospital emergency departments, a Government Accountability Office report states. The report assessed three ways health centers can decrease the number of non-urgent ED visits: educating patients about the proper use of EDs and the services provided by health centers; care coordination, with a focus on prevention; and removing barriers to health center services, such as extending hours and offering walk-in appointments.
- "Community Health Centers Seen as Key to Reducing Emergency Room Cost" (Pecquet, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 5/11).