Innovative population health model associated with reduced emergency department use and inpatient hospitalizations

Population health strategies that improve access to health care and address social determinants of health may reduce the use of costly emergency services. Here we describe a strategy adopted by Baylor Scott & White Health to reduce rising rates of emergency department use and inpatient hospitalizations in an underserved Dallas community that is home to many people with low socioeconomic status. Baylor Scott & White partnered with the Dallas Park and Recreation Department to create a level-three primary care clinic integrating wellness and prevention programs in a city recreational center. The clinic, known as the Baylor Scott & White Health and Wellness Center, exemplifies the integration of social determinants of health within a population health strategy. Emergency department (ED) and inpatient care use was examined over twelve months after initiation of services at the center. People who used the center's services showed a reduction in ED use of 21.4 percent and a reduction in inpatient care use of 36.7 percent, with an average cost decrease of 34.5 percent and 54.4 percent, respectively. These data support the use of population health strategies to reduce the use of emergency services.