OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For the first time in the East Bay, six hospitals are partnering to improve care for frequent Emergency Room (ER) patients. With the implementation of the PreManage ED system, all six hospitals are now alerted when a frequent patient registers at any one of their ERs. Care providers can then respond quickly, in real-time, to ensure patients receive top-quality, consistent care in the appropriate setting.
This unique joint effort between Sutter Health and Alameda Health System provides a secure, portable health record and care plan for each patient. It is the first data sharing initiative among Northern California hospitals with a common goal of coordinating care for frequent ER patients. The hospitals include Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland and Berkeley, Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch and Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, Highland Hospital in Oakland and San Leandro Hospital in San Leandro. Funding for the implementation of PreManage ED includes philanthropic investment from Sutter Health’s nonprofit foundation, Better Health East Bay, and the California Health Care Foundation.
Nearly 40 percent of all ER visits in California can be classified as non-urgent and treatable in a primary care setting or avoidable with appropriate, timely care. These patients often rely on more than one hospital in a region and visit an ER up to three times per week to get basic care needs met.
“This historic partnership for care coordination within emergency services furthers our vision to promote wellness, eliminate disparities and optimize the health of our diverse communities,” said Delvecchio Finley, chief executive officer, Alameda Health System. “While too many barriers to optimal care remain in our communities, the initial gains through this initiative serve as evidence for the benefits to patient-centered care made possible by collaboration.”
PreManage ED, an interoperable software communication tool developed by Collective Medical Technologies, has been implemented at Alta Bates Summit’s Berkeley and Oakland campuses since mid-March and at Highland Hospital since late April. San Leandro Hospital, Sutter Delta Medical Center and Eden Medical Center came online in May and June respectively. Already the system is generating significant opportunities for care collaboration by identifying frequent users of the emergency room including shared patients among the partner hospitals.
Since implementing PreManage ED in March, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center registered 16,119 individual patients on the system, with nearly 10 percent of those patients having had 6 or more emergency room visits in the past twelve months. Approximately 2,000 of the total patients registered had also visited Highland Hospital's emergency room since Highland joined PreManage ED in April. Of those patients, 36 percent had 6 or more emergency room visits in the prior 12 months.
“By implementing PreManage ED throughout our hospitals, we are leading a huge culture shift in how health care is delivered, putting the patient squarely at the center of care,” said Arthur Sorrell, MD, physician informaticist and chair of the Sutter Emergency Department Leadership Council. “This tool will help us break down organizational silos and share information seamlessly across health care providers. Collaborative partnerships like this are a major step forward to benefiting our emergency teams and shared patients.”
With the high cost and high use of emergency departments for non-urgent care visits in the U.S. escalating to upwards of $38 billion annually, PreManage ED has been successfully implemented by nearly all hospitals in Washington and Oregon. As a result, hospitals in those states have experienced better care outcomes at lower costs, including a 10 percent drop in Medicaid-related utilization, in part through reductions in visits by frequent utilizers with five or more visits.
“Patients are already experiencing the benefits of a coordinated approach to care,” said David English, MD, associate chief medical information officer and Highland Hospital ED physician. “Continuity of care is critical to long-term wellness and chronic disease management. PreManage ED is a win-win - patients benefit from a more cohesive experience and providers can improve care based on shared knowledge which contributes to better outcomes.”
“We are proud to support this collaboration and to know that through innovative public/private partnerships such as this, we can make a positive impact on the future health and well-being of our communities, said Keith Carson, District 5 Supervisor.
About Sutter Health
Serving patients and their families in more than 100 Northern California cities and towns, Sutter Health doctors, not-for-profit hospitals and other healthcare service providers share resources and expertise to advance health care quality and access. The Sutter Medical Network includes many of California’s top-performing, highest-quality physician organizations as measured annually by the Integrated Healthcare Association. Sutter-affiliated hospitals are regional leaders in cardiac care, women’s and children’s services, cancer care, orthopedics and advanced patient-safety technology. Sutter Health cares for more than 3 million people in 100 Northern California communities.
Better Health East Bay is the Sutter Health philanthropic foundation funding the implementation of the initial rollout of PreManage ED in the East Bay. In 2014, BHEB launched Sutter Health’s East Bay partnership with The Camden Coalition of Health Providers, the national leader in health care hotspotting and collaborative care modeling.
For more information about the not-for-profit Sutter Health network visit: www.sutterhealth.org | www.facebook.com/sutterhealth | www.youtube.com/sutterhealth | www.twitter.com/sutterhealth
About Alameda Health System
Alameda Health System is a leading public health care provider and medical training institution recognized for its world-class patient- and family-centered care. As one of Alameda County’s largest employers, Alameda Health System provides more than 4,500 jobs and is home to more than 1,100 physicians across nine facilities, including Alameda Hospital, Highland Hospital, San Leandro Hospital, John George Psychiatric Hospital, Fairmont Hospital, and a network of community-based wellness centers. Alameda Health System is committed to promoting wellness and optimizing the health of the community through its mission of caring, healing, teaching and serving all.
About Collective Medical Technologies
Collective Medical Technologies, Inc. (CMT) is a Salt Lake City-based health technology company which helps providers and payers to take better care of their patients. Using real-time notifications and collaborative care planning tools, CMT closes the provider communication gaps that undermine patient care. Whenever a patient visits a hospital or other care setting and may be at risk of an adverse outcome, CMT’s tools immediately assess that risk, notify the most appropriate providers to engage, and enable provider-to-provider coordination using high-value insights and a patient-specific plan of care. The result is a network of physicians, nurses, care coordinators, and others who collaborate to collectively deliver better, more cost-effective patient care. CMT is endorsed by the American College of Emergency Physicians and is trusted by thousands of providers caring for millions of patients spanning emergency departments, hospitals, clinics, health plans, ACOs, EMS, and post-acute care. Learn more at www.collectivemedicaltech.com.
