Horizon Health Network says it may have found a way to prevent 600 hospital admissions a year and save $8.6 million.
The health authority has introduced “diversion teams” in several regional hospital emergency departments, says Horizon executive David Arbeau.
These teams help set up care at home or in the community, when appropriate, instead of admitting people to hospital, Arbeau said in an interview with Information Morning Fredericton.
If a patient comes to the emergency department and the medical team there feels the person may need to be admitted, but might be able to stay home, the diversion team will review their chart, speak with the patient and their family and can arrange some interventions, he said.
“I think generally people, if they don’t need to be in hospital, don’t want to be there,” said Arbeau, the health authority’s clinical executive director of operations, patient flow and ambulatory care.
Asked later why the diversion effort wasn’t happening before, given the long existence of the extramural program, Arbeau replied by email that it took time to build and activate the right structure, resources and partnerships across the complex, interconnected care system.
Horizon has expressed frustration over the number of hospital beds taken up by people who no longer need medical care but are waiting for places in nursing homes.
The crisis has affected emergency departments, where people can be found waiting in hallways and other spaces for inpatient beds to open up.
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