Emergency Department Visit-Severity Algorithm for Immediate Care Clinic Visits.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Immediate care clinics (ICC) account for a significant portion of acute, low-severity visits that preclude the use of resources from an emergency department (ED). Given the chronic issue of ED crowding and its detrimental effects on quality of care and health system efficiency, understanding and optimizing the use of ICCs for non-emergent visits could significantly alleviate pressures faced by EDs and improve patient satisfaction, as well as control the overall cost of care. This study describes the application of the Billings/Ballard severity algorithm to ICC visits over a seven-year period and compares the findings to previously published ED literature.

Methods

We obtained data from ICC visits within a large, academic health system. The analytical sample include

SUBMITTER: Neczypor JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12815509 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature