Lessons Learned from the Camden Coalition's Work with High Needs, High Complexity Patients

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Care Coordination
• Public Health

Background:

• The Camden Coalition developed a care coordination model for high-needs patients.
• This model was nationally recognized for intensive care coordination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a care coordination model on hospital and emergency room utilization.
• To identify potential reasons for the model's effectiveness or lack thereof.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was employed to test the care coordination model.
• The study focused on high-needs, high-complexity patient populations.

Main Results:

• The randomized controlled trial showed no significant impact on hospital or emergency room utilization.
• This outcome was unexpected given the model's prior recognition.

Conclusions:

• Several factors may have contributed to the lack of impact, including unresolved early life trauma, inadequate access to trained local services, and diagnostic/treatment errors.
• Integrating high-quality primary care within mental health and social services may be more effective than traditional service coordination.