IT to Support Integration of Social Determinant of Health Services to Reduce Avoidable Emergency Department Visits

Overview

Working through regional Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) the sponsor will establish a 2-year pilot project to demonstrate that early recognition and intervention in the various Social Determinant of Health (SDoH) domains can reduce avoidable Emergency Department (ED) visits by high utilizers. The regional ACO's will contract with Medicaid Managed Care Plans to assign traditional high ED utilizing members to the pilot project. Members will be offered enhanced peer facilitated care management services connecting members with available SDoH community based services. Members fitting our eligibility criteria will self-select by way of completing a pilot project consent form.

The project employs a two level intervention to include Peer Support Specialist (PSS) and Community Health Advocate (CHA). Contact and engagement with participating members will be through both direct intervention in the emergency department by Peer Support Specialist (the peer) as well as in the community for prevention visits and follow up by both the peer and Community Health Advocate. These well-positioned Peers and Community Health Advocates will address Behavioral and Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) concerns through a highly coordinated intervention supported by a common IT Medicaid member tracking platform. This research project will determine the feasibility of deploying a single shared IT platform that will include referral, appointment completion, and intervention outcome data. Project staff will develop a trusting relationship with the members and will improve member access and engagement with community-based services. The project will also seek to determine the impact on total cost of care through redirecting study participants to community resources that are more appropriate, and less expensive than return visits to the emergency department.