News Report | April 6, 2020
Navigators Cut Emergency Visits & Hospitalization For High-Risk Health Care Consumers
Health care navigators, or “patient navigators,” cut emergency visits and hospitalization for high-risk health care consumers, according to an analysis of a navigator program implemented by Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC). Among consumers who were assigned a navigator, emergency room visits dropped from 3.1 visits per person per year to 1.1 visits per person annually. Hospital admissions dropped from 1.5 per person annually to zero. Nearly three-quarters (74.9%) of those assigned navigators decreased both hospital and emergency room utilization. The effects of the navigator program persisted across various insurance types, and whether . . .