Emergency Department Diversion programs reduce the number of people who unnecessarily enter the ER each year. These emergency diversion programs not only reduce the number of emergencies, which is beneficial for everyone, but also help community health systems better allocate resources, save money, and prevent unnecessary hospital stays.
Emergency Department Diversion is the process by which people who do not need emergency
are directed to locations that are more suited to treat their condition. These programs are becoming more popular with people who have mental health struggles, substance abuse disorders, and unmanaged chronic diseases.
Why are Emergency Department Diversion Programs Becoming More Popular?
Suppose you work in any emergency department around the country. In that case, you’ve likely heard about two key issues: the difficulty in finding and retaining staff and the increasing number of people who utilize the emergency department for more than just emergency care.
The saddest thing is that these two elements— low staffing and an increasing number of patients — seem to feed off each other. The more overworked the staff, the fewer staff members they can retain, the worse the care for patients, the more likely patients will need follow-up care, and the busier the ER becomes, and so on.
While this cycle is unfortunate, there are solutions to stop this dangerous spiral – and that’s what leads us to emergency department diversion.
Here are a few reasons why Emergency Department Diversion programs are becoming so much more widespread:
- Reduce Wasted Resources
- Improve Patient Experience
- Increase Provider Satisfaction and Agency
Note: Those in healthcare roles may be familiar with an emergency department going “on diversion,” which is something completely different, though not unrelated to, Emergency Department Diversion programs. When an ER goes “on diversion,” it means they are notifying incoming EMS units that they are at capacity and advising them to go elsewhere if possible.
In a way, we could say that Emergency Department Diversion programs are designed to prevent the emergency department from needing to go on diversion, which often results in delayed care for people who genuinely require it.
Reducing Wasted Resources
One of the first ways to improve anything is to reduce waste. This couldn’t be more true in
healthcare. When we’re talking about “Waste” in healthcare, what we typically mean is wasted
resources (of course, this all translates to time and money).
For example, a clinic in the area may specialize in treating patients with chronic pain. However, suppose nobody knows about the clinic (or the pathway to access it or set up appointments is too difficult). In that case, they will default to the emergency department whenever they are in pain, rather than seeking long-term help.
Mobile Integrated Healthcare programs aim to harness this wasted potential by streamlining the pathways between patients and truly definitive care. It’s similar to driving down the road and noticing a business for the first time. Sometimes what you need is there; you just don’t know it yet.
Improving Patient Experience
Apart from reducing waste, emergency department diversion programs also improve patient experience. It’s no secret that in many areas, people are less than satisfied with their healthcare. Providers aren’t the only ones who can sense the endless loop–patients sense it too.
The emergency department diversion program works to streamline the healthcare experience for each patient. Instead of being caught in a ping-pong game of referrals, hospital stays, and re-referrals, emergency department diversion aims to direct people to the appropriate destination.
For example, if someone has had a recent mental health breakdown, they may seek immediate care at the ER. In that instance, this could be the right thing to do, but what happens when it happens again? Soon, the person finds themselves in an endless loop of breakdown, hospitalization, discharge, breakdown, and so forth.
The hospital and emergency department diversion program aims to provide these individuals with definitive help as soon as possible. Instead of being sent to the ER, the person will be evaluated by trained emergency personnel in the field, possibly by a paramedic with video contact to a physician. Then, the best place for them to go will be determined. It might be the ER, but it might also be a mental health facility where the patient can get definitive care.
Increasing Provider Satisfaction and Agency
Not only can patients find relief from an endless healthcare tailspin, but providers will also feel satisfaction when implementing an emergency room diversion protocol. As we mentioned earlier, providers can become deeply frustrated by repeat patients, overcrowded ERs, and inadequate staffing.
However, they are not frustrated for the reasons many might think. There is a tendency to view some medical professionals as jaded and to expect them to “deal with it” because all the trouble is just part of the job.
But it doesn’t have to be. And most providers are not frustrated with the patients themselves. They are frustrated because they feel powerless to do anything. Doctors and nurses entered the healthcare field to help people. Most of them take joy in that, and when they think that what they are doing isn’t really helping people, frustration sets in.
Mobile integrated healthcare and hospital diversion programs help alleviate some of this provider frustration by providing them with another tool to truly assist people.
For example, when nurse John sees the same patient come into the ER every night for “alcohol intoxication,” instead of “just dealing with it,” he can take action to refer this patient to an MIH diversion program so that the next time this patient is picked up for “intox” he can be transported to a rehab center, not the ED.
Indeed, many aspects must be addressed for these programs to function correctly, but the effort is worthwhile in the long run.
When you have a chance, be sure to check out our article on court diversion programs, which are similar yet distinct in their objectives.
How Do Emergency Department Diversion Programs Work?
We’ve discussed why hospital diversion programs are beneficial, but now we’ll outline the primary ways these programs operate. Here, you’ll find more specific information on topics that align with your interests and the needs of your community.
One of the significant advantages of Emergency Department Diversion Programs is that they can take many different forms to meet the diverse needs of a community. The rules of EDD allow a health system to start small, assess what’s working, and adjust accordingly.
Using the ‘start small and adjust’ method allows mobile integrated health systems to give these programs a try without committing large amounts of money and time upfront.
Here are some ways that Emergency Room Diversion programs work:
- Improved Patient Triage: In some cases, a person calls for an ambulance but does not require an ER visit. These may be cases when someone calls for a runny nose or just not feeling well. In these cases, trained medics will conduct a comprehensive assessment in the field before determining whether the patient requires an ER visit or can be treated in an outpatient setting, such as an urgent care facility.
- Advanced Dispatching: In these cases, those 911 calls that are not true emergencies are graded as such and given an appropriate response. This type of system ensures that people experiencing true emergencies are given priority access to ambulances and emergency room care and that those who are stable enough to wait can be treated accordingly.
- Prescription drug assistance: Sometimes, preventing unnecessary ER visits and hospital stays is as simple as giving a person resources to maintain consistent prescription drugs. When people run out of prescription drugs, they frequently call 911; not to mention they often lag in taking necessary meds that may lead to detrimental health events.
- Education on preventive medicine: Emergency department diversion programs also focus on prevention, potentially helping individuals manage chronic diseases. In this way, EDD programs work to prevent chronic diseases from becoming acute emergencies.
- Referrals to rehab and cessation clinics: By now, it’s no great news that smoking can have detrimental health effects. Emergency department diversion programs can give people resources to help them manage their drug or alcohol addictions, leading to lasting long-term health and fewer hospital stays.
- Assistance in connecting to a primary care provider: Ultimately, hospital and emergency department diversion programs aim to connect individuals with a primary care physician. When people establish a connection with a primary care physician (PCP), they are more likely to manage their chronic conditions effectively and have a lower likelihood of relying on the emergency room (ER) as their primary method of care.
Regardless of your area, there are likely at least a few of these programs that can work for you.
Conclusion: The Benefits of an Emergency Department Diversion Program
Emergency department diversion programs reduce hospital stays, improving patient and provider experience and reducing lost revenue.
Emergency Department Diversion programs take several steps to reduce the number of people relying on the ER, including educating them on healthcare prevention, giving them resources for prescription drugs, and connecting them with primary care providers. These actions collectively help redirect the flow of traffic through the ER, saving time, resources, and hospital stays.
Contact Julota to learn how their interoperable software platform can help your MIH programs organize an emergency department diversion program. A representative would be happy to listen to your unique needs, answer any questions you may have, and provide a demonstration.