Specialty: Primary Care / Emergency Medicine 

Keywords: Avoidable ED visits, ED utilization, MediCAL, healthcare disparities, social determinants of health

Background: Emergency department (ED) overutilization is an ongoing challenge among certain populations, particularly underserved peoples. Recurrent ED visits could be a reflection of gaps in primary care access, social determinants of health, and chronic disease management. By analyzing different characteristics within the MediCAL population leading to avoidable ED visits, we establish targeted interventions to improve healthcare delivery and decrease recurrent ED visits. There is currently limited institution-specific data at UCLA to help guide such interventions. This study aims to fill that gap by identifying social, demographic, and clinical predictors of ED overutilization among patients with MediCAL insurance assigned to UCLA primary care clinics.

Objective: To characterize and identify predictors associated with frequent and potentially avoidable emergency department visits among MediCAL patients at UCLA.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional, quantitative study analyzing data from 1,558 MediCAL-insured patients assigned to UCLA primary care clinics. Patient-level variables include demographic factors (age, gender, housing status), primary diagnoses associated with ED visits, and healthcare utilization patterns. The dataset includes the number and type of ED visits, with categorization into avoidable vs. unavoidable ED encounters based on established clinical criteria.

Results: pending data analysis 

Conclusions (projected): Preliminary findings show that demographic and social determinants—including age, gender, and housing status — may be positively associated with increased frequency of emergency room visits. We anticipate further identifying additional predictors as data analysis progresses. Future directions include contacting a subset of patients to better understand the underlying causes of ED use not captured by electronic health data—such as barriers to primary care, unmet social needs, and perceived urgency of symptoms. These qualitative insights will guide the development of targeted interventions with a goal of reducing avoidable ED visits and improving continuity of care for MediCAL patients at UCLA.