Ambulatory Care Follow-Up and Fragmentation After Emergency Department Visits Among Older Adults

September 25 2025

IMPACT researchers Cameron J. Gettel, Julie Bynum, Yuxiao S., Craig Rothenberg, Theodore Lee, Courtney Kitchen, Yixuan Liang, Susan Hastings, and Arjun Venkatesh analyzed 55,391 ED visits from the 2015–2021 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey to examine follow-up within 7 and 30 days and the extent of care fragmentation.

Key findings:

• Only 22.9% of patients had follow-up within 7 days; 44.2% within 30 days
• Care fragmentation (seeing 2+ providers) occurred in 4.6% of cases within 7 days and 25.3% within 30 days
• Patients with dementia were less likely to have follow-up, while those with multiple chronic conditions were more likely

These findings highlight opportunities to improve post-ED care for older adults, ensuring timely follow-up and reducing fragmented care.

Read the full article here.