A model for demand management in a managed care environment.

Downsizing of personnel and budgets demands effective means of managing patients' demand for care to ensure that care assets are appropriately utilized. Preliminary data indicate that the Central Triage concept of demand management is effective, efficient, and satisfactory to patients. As a centralized portal to care for individuals presenting without appointments, registered nurses screen and triage via protocol. The nurses send patients to the Emergency Center, make same-day appointments, or provide self-care education as indicated. During the first 9 months of operation, Central Triage inprocessed 35,231 patients. Twenty-three percent were determined to have self-care deficits and received education to assist them in meeting their current self-care demands. Follow-up of 10% of the patients receiving self-care education revealed that 88% improved without further intervention and 95% were satisfied with the care they received. Central Triage has demonstrated an annual cost avoidance exceeding $2,500,000.