Frequent Users of Health Services Final Evaluation
CSH takes the lead in addressing issues important to frequent users of health services, many of whom are homeless, in need of better healthcare options.

Launched in 2002, the Frequent Users of Health Services Initiative was a six-year, $10 million project centered on six pilot programs designed to test new models of care for frequent users of hospital emergency departments. Frequent users are a small group of people with complex, unmet needs not effectively addressed in these high-cost acute care settings. They face barriers in accessing housing and medical, mental, and substance abuse treatment, all of which can contribute to frequent emergency department visits.

The California Endowment and the California HealthCare Foundation funded the Initiative, based in CSH’s Oakland office, to encourage the development of a cost-effective, comprehensive, and coordinated system of care. Through grant making and intensive programming, the Initiative focused on building a more responsive system of care to decrease frequent users’ avoidable emergency department visits and hospital stays.

The Lewin Group, a health care policy research and management consulting firm, conducted the external process and outcome evaluation. Results from the Initiative programs show that multi-disciplinary, coordinated care can reduce hospital visits and costs, while helping to improve the stability and quality of life for patients. As the Lewin Report notes, the lessons learned from the Initiative and its pilot programs will be used to encourage a more responsive and cost-effective system of care that addresses the multiple needs of frequent users of acute care services.

Frequent Users of Health Services Initiative: Final Evaluation Report

About the Initiative

Facts and Findings

Policy Information

Resources