Government Healthcare Policy, Business and Technology

Alaska emergency rooms start sharing information, with focus on those who use them the most

Alaska Dispatch News: Across Alaska, hospitals are being outfitted with a new computer program that will let emergency departments share information about patients in hopes of addressing costs, care, and opioid prescriptions for those who use emergency rooms the most.

In 2016, about 1 in 7 Alaskans visited an ER. Most people went only one time. And nearly all — 94 percent — went fewer than five times, according to data from the Alaska Division of Public Health.

The remaining top 6 percent of Alaskans who showed up at an emergency department five times or more are sometimes referred to as "superutilizers."

The care they received made up a disproportionate amount of charges — nearly a quarter of all ER visit charges — at $148 million.

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