Provider Feedback Reduced ED Visits for Children at a Gastroenterology Clinic

Investigators retrospectively evaluated the impact of a quality-improvement project intended to reduce avoidable emergency department (ED) visits among children followed in an outpatient pediatric gastroenterology practice. As part of the initiative, clinic leaders received reports of ED visit rates for all clinic patients who were discharged from the ED, and the clinic's 20 attending physicians and 3 nurse practitioners received individualized reports. Reports included rates of ED visits during office hours and ED visits with gastrointestinal (GI)-specific complaints.

In response to receiving the reports, the clinic began prioritizing urgent care needs for patients: Same-day and next-day appointments were made available for patients with ur…