Pilot slashes ED visits by Medicaid recipients.

Medicaid recipients in a pilot project at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, OH, reduced their emergency department visits significantly. Working with primary care physicians, the hospital staff drew up care plans for each patient and entered them into the medical record so they would be available to the emergency department staff. Participating Medicaid Managed Care Plans embedded case managers in primary care offices to educate the patients on appropriate use of the emergency department. The pilot has ended but the hospital and managed care plans continue to collaborate on managing patient care.