WEA Trust, a not-for profit insurance company, provides a different type of service to their members. Beginning in 2016, the Trust began personally calling and engaging members who visited the emergency room, when a visit to urgent care, a primary doctor or telehealth may have been a better option.
The new approach was developed to educate members on different options to address their health care needs and ultimately help the member and their employer save healthcare costs. A visit to the ER when not needed could result in potential harm and cost from unnecessary diagnostic tests and procedures. According to a 2013 study*, emergency room visits average $1,233—and with healthcare costs and the variation of costs ever increasing, visiting the emergency room can have a huge effect on a member’s pocketbook and subsequently their employer’s total healthcare spend. A visit to the emergency room can also result in additional testing, which potentially may be unnecessary or even harmful. Read the full story here.
;
