HealthCare Access Maryland (HCAM) and their hospital partner, Lifebridge Health/Sinai Hospital, completed the Access Health program earlier this fall, which was supported with a three-year grant from the CHRC.   The program targeted super-utilizers of the Sinai emergency department (individuals who visit the ED ten or more times during a four-month period) and embedded three care coordinators in the ED to work with clients who are impacted by complex health and social service needs.

Over the three years of the grant, Access Health served 802 individuals; one third of these individuals (285 clients) comprised the at-risk target population (3-9 visits/4 month period ) and generated more than 1,100 visits four months before entering the program.  Twenty-three individuals in the program comprised the super-utilizers and generated more than 230 visits over a four-month period.

Sinai calculated a four-month pre vs four-month post comparison for the at-risk clients and compared this to a cohort of similar patients not enrolled in Access Health.  This comparison showed a 26% visit reduction for the at-risk clients enrolled in the program, which Sinai estimated translates into $895,580 in cost avoidance.  Total program savings achieved (all 802 clients) translated into $1.2 million in savings. Taking into account the $800,000 investment from the grant, the program’s return on investment (ROI) was 147%. For more information on this ROI, click here.

Article listed in the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission newsletter.