Brockton Neighborhood Health Center (BNHC) is taking a two-pronged approach to reducing unnecessary emergency room (ER) visits with the goal of decreasing costs and improving patient care. For the first part of this approach, BNHC has partnered with Good Samaritan Medical Center and Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital. These facilities notify BNHC when the ER admits patients who have 12 or more ER visits per year, and then collaborate to create a discharge plan and schedule follow-up appointments for the patient. All three institutions hold monthly meetings to determine why patients use the ER instead of the health center, how to improve current care, and how to decrease unnecessary ER usage.

At the same time, BNHC is expanding their facilities to increase access to primary care, behavioral health, dental, and optometry services for their patients. They significantly expanded their urgent care facilities in 2009, and also operate a small satellite clinic at Brockton’s homeless shelter, the MainSpring House. With the satellite office and expansions, BNHC can provide more nonemergency care to its patients and so reduce the costs associated with unnecessary ER usage.

“Our goal is to provide the best possible care for our patients and reduce ER visits by increasing access to the health center,” said Linda Gabruk, Chief Operating Officer of BNHC. “We take pride in working with our community. And we take pride in working with Network Health because we know that we can always count on them to support us.”

Like BNHC, Network Health works with area hospitals to analyze ER usage, and encourage primary care visits for preventive services and follow-up care after an ER visit. If you need help coordinating care for your patients to reduce their ER usage, please call us at 888-257-1985. You may also refer your patients to our 24-hour NurseLine, 888-MY-RN-LINE (888-697-6546), which will help them determine whether emergency services are necessary.

For more information about Brockton Neighborhood Health Center, please visit their Web site.

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