Local emergency rooms are becoming overcrowded with non-urgent health cases.
So, in our 2017 cycle of Catalyst, Ravenswood Family Health Center set out to better educate patients about their health center’s available services and what health issues actually warrant a visit to the emergency room.
Ravenswood Family Health Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center serving the East Palo Alto and surrounding community. Their mission is to improve the health of the community by providing culturally-sensitive, integrated primary and preventative health care to all, regardless of ability to pay or immigration status, and collaborating with community partners to address the social determinants of health.
| Organization | Ravenswood Family Health Center |
| Issue | Patients often visit the local emergency room for non-urgent issues. They don’t know what health problems can instead be addressed by their primary care provider. |
| Solution Tested | An informational flyer that details examples of health issues that should be treated at the emergency room vs. the health center. |
| Stage | Piloted on a small scale. |
| Financial Investment | $$ |
| Partners | Patients and caregivers, medical providers, nursing staff, care coordinators, hospital and emergency department staff. |
Ravenswood faces a number of obstacles when patients go to the emergency department for non-urgent issues and services that could be provided by primary care providers.
When patients go to the emergency room for an avoidable visit, it increases their risk for exposure to medical errors, as well as unnecessary testing and intervention.
Patients don’t have a good understanding of the most appropriate care setting for their health issues. They are unaware of after-hours nurse advice services and walk-in appointments.
Overutilizing emergency room services drives up the cost of care to the health care system, as well as to the individual patient.
Ravenswood developed a flyer for patients to help them make decisions about when they should go to the emergency room for care, as opposed to the health center.
The handout is directed at parents with children and is available in English and Spanish. The flyer details scenarios of when the parent should take their child to the emergency room vs. bring them to the health center. For instance, feverish children under 2 months old should go to the emergency room, while feverish children over 2 months and adults should go to the health center. It also provides information about the after-hours nurse advice line and health center hours.
The flyer was developed in conjunction with pediatric provider staff, designed with direct patient feedback, and strategically placed in different areas of the main clinic.
Date |
Milestone |
| August 2017 | Draft measurement plan. |
| September 2017 | Complete first draft designs of the flyer in English and Spanish. Obtain patient feedback on designs. |
| October 2017 | Test refined design in live environment (multiple areas in the health center). |
| November 2017 | Collect and analyze data. |
| December 2017 | Synthesize insights from data and begin planning for next iteration. |
Lab Tech Ravenswood Family Health Center“Patients were surprised and excited that the handout could help explain when they should or should not go to the emergency room, especially moms with kids.”
Interested in learning more about this project or how to test in your organization? Contact Justin Wu, MD at Ravenswood Family Health Center.