WHAT IS THE TECHNOLOGY?

The Emergency Department Information Exchange (EDIE) is a health information exchange system that was mandated by Washington state legislation in 2012 to create electronic care plans to facilitate care coordination for high-needs Medicaid patients across hospitals in the state. EDIE is designed to assist hospitals with identifying frequent users of emergency services, facilitate the active development of care plans and care management for high-needs patients, and improve data sharing between outpatient providers and hospitals.

WHAT IS THE TECHNOLOGY’S POTENTIAL IMPACT ON PRIMARY CARE?

This evaluation is focused on how EDIE may improve outcomes for patients with mental illness who are frequent users of emergency services. These services are expensive and are largely preventable with better coordination with primary care as well as behavioral health providers. As EDIE is increasingly used by emergency departments around the state, demand for primary care may increase and the relationship with emergency departments may strengthen.

WHAT IS PCI-LAB DOING?

PCI-Lab will:

  • Advise on the data collection and analytic approaches.
  • Identify the range of primary care providers that may influence the effectiveness of EDIE.
  • Bring perspective to other relevant technological advances and innovations in primary care that may have occurred during the implementation period that may influence effectiveness of EDIE.
  • Work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary and multi-institution research team including the principal investigator housed in the UW Department of Emergency Medicine

FUNDER