CARES: A Community-wide Collaboration Identifies Super-utilizers and Reduces Their 9-1-1 Call, Emergency Department, and Hospital Visit Rates

AbstractBackground: A subset of individuals who inefficiently and frequently use emergency department (ED) services are called “super-utilizers.” Our healthcare system is fragmented and complex, making it difficult for providers to identify super-utilizers and address their wide range of health issues. Objective: The objective of our study was to evaluate a novel community-wide collaboration program called CARES (Community Assistance Referral and Education Services) designed to identify super-utilizers through local partnering organizations. CARES assists patients in developing their personal health and wellness goals, and navigates them away from 9-1-1 calls, emergency room visits, and hospital admissions, and toward more appropriate resources over 90 days. Methods: This was a retrospective observational analysis of the CARES program. Data were collected from March 2013 to December 2015. The study population included: enrolled adults with non-compliance of medication or treatment; behavioral health probl...