Integrated care coordination by an interprofessional team reduces emergency department visits and hospitalisations at an academic health centre.

Integrated care coordination by an interprofessional team reduces emergency department visits and hospitalisations at an academic health centre. J Interprof Care. 2017 Jul 20;:1-9 Authors: Gaglioti AH, Barlow P, Thoma KD, Bergus GR Abstract People with chronic behavioural and physical health conditions have higher healthcare costs and mortality rates than patients with chronic physical conditions alone. As a result, there has been promotion of integrated care for this group. It is important to train primary care residents to practice in integrated models of care with interprofessional teams and to evaluate the effectiveness of integrated care models to promote high-quality care for this at-risk group. We implemented an integrated, interprofessional care management programme for adults with chronic mental and physical health needs as part of a curriculum for family medicine and family medicine psychiatry residents. We then evaluated the clinical effectiveness of this programme by describing participants' healthcare utilisation patterns pre- and post-enrolment. Patients enrolled in the programme were approximately 60-70% less likely to utilise the emergency room and 50% less likely to be admitted to the hospital after enrolment in the programme compared to before enrolment. The odds of individual attendance at outpatient primary care and mental health visits improved after enrolment. In the context of the implementation of integrated b...
Source: Journal of Interprofessional Care - Category: Health Management Tags: J Interprof Care Source Type: research