Extension of emergency medical care: continuing emergency care clinic.

An alternative follow-up system, a Continuing Emergency Care clinic (CEC) was developed at The Medical College of Pennsylvania in an attempt to increase emergency department patient compliance for follow-up. One year after the CEC was in operation, in an attempt to determine variables influencing the effectiveness of the clinic, a total of 375 emergency department patients given follow-up appointments to the CEC were studied. Results showed that a change in the structure of the clinic appointment and a shift in the line of responsibility for follow-up care directly to the emergency physician are two major variables positively affecting patient compliance.