Date of Publication
6-1-2022
Abstract
Background: SASH is a Vermont-based health promotion program that aims to provide affordable housing and care for older Medicare recipients. SASH organizes programs including monthly events, learning presentations, group physical activities, and blood pressure clinics. Through these programs and with the support of their care nurses, SASH has significantly reduced overall Medicare expenditure for their participants, but high-ED utilizers remain a population in which further intervention can decrease costs and resources.
Methods: This project used statistical analysis of SASH patient data for variables of interest to examine the leading reasons for high ED utilization among SASH participants, then explored ways to address these issues with a literature review. These programs were then compared to existing SASH programs, and based on this comparison, recommendations were made on ways that SASH can address frequent ED usage among its participants.
Results: SASH patients had a median of seven visits throughout the duration of data collection. Issues related to hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and falls were leading causes of high-ED utilizer visits.
Conclusion: This study determined that there are several feasible programs that SASH can implement to decrease ED utilization among its participants, including: utilizing a screening questionnaire to connect patients with PCPs and flag high-risk patients, training nurses to assist with blood glucose monitoring and fall prevention education, expanding monthly health events (eg. technology literacy workshops), creating educational videos on falls prevention and healthy diet planning, and expanding food and exercise support to include activities like field trips to the grocery store.
Advisor(s)
Katie Wells, MD, MPH
Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont
Jennifer Schollmeyer
Community Agency Mentor
Agency
Cathedral Square: SASH (Support and Services at Home)
Subjects
Access to Health Services, Community, Disability and Health, Educational and Community-Based Programs, Health Care, Health Care Access and Quality, Health Communication, Health-Related Quality of Life & Well-Being, Housing and Homes, Social and Community Context
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License
Recommended Citation
Balasubramanian, Anupama; Breidenstein, Max; Cappiello, Jacob P.; Clark, Bradford R.; Nayar, Chellam E.; Rich, McLaine S.; and Walker, Taylor R., "Best Practices for Reducing High Emergency Room Utilization Among SASH Participants" (2022). Public Health Projects, 2008-present. 356.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/356