Patient navigators are ED staff members who identify patients who do not have sources of post-acute care. Navigators also help ED patients find the appropriate social services, insurance and housing services.
While navigators represent an initial cost to hospitals, the author says navigators save money in the end because they steer patients toward more inexpensive preventive care and emphasize conditions more appropriate for the ED setting.
“Navigators in the ED help patients meet their medical, social and economic needs so that they may not return for something that is not and does not have the potential to be urgent,” according to the post. “This, in turn, also helps the ED by inexpensively addressing at its core the problem that certain patients rely on the ED for much more than emergency medicine.”
More Articles on Emergency Department Flow:
Report: ER Overcrowding, Diversion Drive Patient Monitoring Systems’ Market Growth
The Ultimate Team Sport: 6 Ways Collaboration Can Improve Hospital Patient Flow
Mayo Clinic in Arizona Adds Patient Tracking System
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