Many emergency room visits are for conditions and diagnoses that could potentially be treated in more cost-effective settings. With an eye on cost containment and patient
satisfaction, many healthcare organizations are seeking to identify, by both diagnosis and patient population, these potentially avoidable emergency room visits.
With a clear understanding of why health plan members use the emergency room inappropriately, WellPoint has a series of initiatives in place that intervene with both members and providers to direct appropriate use of healthcare services.
Listen to pre-conference comments from Dr. Barsam Kasravi.
During Reducing Avoidable Emergency Room Visits: Approaches to Redirect Patients to Cost-Effective Care Settings, a 45-minute webinar now available as a CD-ROM, via On Demand Web access or as a training DVD, Dr. Karen Amstutz, vice president and medical director of Medicaid and Senior Markets, WellPoint, and Dr. Barsam Kasravi, managing medical director for state sponsored programs, WellPoint, shared the details on WellPoint's initiatives to reduce avoidable emergency room visits.
Using a combination of claims data, risk analysis and real-time data from its provider network, WellPoint has developed a scoring methodology that looks at risk and priority to develop effective interventions for its members to effectively utilize healthcare services.
During the webinar, you will get details on:
- The role of patient education and engagement in reducing avoidable emergency room visits;
- Identifying and targeting those at high-risk to use the emergency room inappropriately before the visit;
- Community-based partnerships and collaborations with primary care groups and hospitals that can help reduce emergency room visits; and
- Results from program initiatives on healthcare utilization and costs.
Have questions on our webinar and/or webinar formats? Visit our webinar FAQ.
You can listen to this program right in your office and enjoy significant savings – no travel time or hassle; no hotel expenses. It’s so convenient! Invite your staff members to gather around a conference table to listen to the CD, DVD or the On Demand version.
WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS CONFERENCE?
CEOs, medical directors, health plan executives, hospital executives, clinical and quality improvement executives, disease management directors, managers and coordinators, physician executives, and business development and strategic planning directors.
ABOUT OUR PANELISTS:
Dr. Karen Amstutz
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Karen Amstutz, M.D., M.B.A., is vice president and medical director at WellPoint, Inc. for Senior and State Sponsored
Business. Her responsibilities include the medical management of health coverage for senior Medicare business as well as for the
underserved and uninsured populations through government programs such as Medicaid, State Children’s Health Insurance Programs,
and other publicly funded programs.
Dr. Amstutz began her career caring for underserved patients in Indianapolis as a faculty member of the Indiana University School
of Medicine. She became involved in managed care in 1994, implemented a physician office-based asthma disease management
program and led the development of physician clinical performance measurement. She developed the quality management program
and pay-for-performance program for a regional HMO before joining WellPoint.
Dr. Amstutz received her doctorate in medicine from Washington University, St. Louis, and a Master of Business Administration
from the University of Chicago.
Barsam Kasravi, M.D., M.P.H., is currently a managing medical director at WellPoint working on the State Sponsored Programs. His responsibilities include managing physicians and implementing projects to improve care and quality for WellPoint members.
Dr. Kasravi previously worked at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) as a fellow and subsequently as an associate medical director, working on issues of quality of care and pay for performance. After two years at the BCBSMA plan, Dr. Kasravi moved back to California and began working as a medical director at WellPoint in 2007.
During his career, Dr. Kasravi has volunteered nationally and internationally in South Africa, South America, and recently in Louisiana with the disaster of Katrina, in providing medical care and public health support to underserved populations. He also continues to volunteer at the nation’s largest free clinic, the Venice Free Clinic, in Los Angeles.
Dr. Kasravi graduated from the UCLA School of Medicine in 2001. He completed his residency as Chief Resident at the UCLA/Kaiser Woodland Hills Family Medicine Program in 2004. After his residency, Dr. Kasravi was accepted and subsequently completed the California Endowment Scholars in Minority Health Policy at Harvard University Program. During this year, he received a Master of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health, focused on issues of minority health policy and healthcare disparities.
