A Case Series Using a Care Management Checklist to Decrease Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalizations in Children With Epilepsy

Abstract

Each year, 1 million people are seen in an emergency department for seizures or epilepsy. We implemented a care management checklist for patients with frequent visits. A database was searched for patients with the highest number of emergency department visits and/or unplanned hospitalizations in 2011. Four patients were selected. A care management checklist was implemented in 2012. Compliance with the office visits, number of emergency department visits and/or hospitalizations, and the associated costs were tracked following implementation of the checklist for 2011 and 2012. These 4 epilepsy patients accounted for 46 visits in the year 2011 with associated health care costs of $380,209. Following a year using a care management checklist, the same patients accounted for 11 visits with a cost reduction of $188,130. Using a care management checklist was useful in these 4 epilepsy patients to decrease emergency department visits and/or unplanned hospitalizations. A limitation of this study is its small numbers.