• Author
    Faustino Gonzalez Barrales
  • Discovery PI

    Natasha Thomas, MD, MPH

  • Project Co-Author

    Anais Panossian, Ani Orujyan, Faustino Gonzalez Barrales, Reza Hessabi, Diana Dayal, Annie Hoang, Natasha Thomas, Daniel Kozman, Jessica Faiz

  • Abstract Title

    Improving Transitions from the Emergency Department to Ambulatory Care for Medicaid-Insured Patients at a Federally Qualified Health Center

  • Discovery AOC Petal or Dual Degree Program

    Healthcare Improvement & Health Equity Research

  • Abstract

    This quality improvement project explored why lower-acuity patients with Medi-Cal from the Venice Family Clinic sought care in the emergency department at UCLA Santa Monica rather than in a primary care setting. We conducted phone-based surveys with patients triaged as low acuity to better understand factors influencing their care-seeking decisions. Preliminary findings suggest a recurring theme of preference for same-day or walk-in appointment availability, particularly during after-hours periods. These early insights highlight gaps in timely access to primary care and suggest a need to expand flexible scheduling options. Improving access through same-day visits or urgent primary care pathways may help reduce non-emergent emergency department utilization and better align patient needs with appropriate outpatient care.

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