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ForwardConnecting the Dots: Primary Care, Care Coordination, and ED Utilization
The Health Plan will host a learning collaborative session focused on how strengthening access to and coordination with primary care for individuals served by the Centers of Excellence (COEs) can further reduce non‑life‑threatening emergency department (ED) utilization. Over the past year, the Health Plan has partnered closely with COEs to address avoidable ED use, and 2025 data demonstrated a meaningful reduction in overall ED utilization compared to prior years. Building on this success, this session will highlight evidence‑based strategies that position primary care as a key driver of continued improvement, including integrated addiction treatment, care coordination, timely access models, and team‑based approaches. The session will combine brief didactic content with applied discussion to support COEs in identifying practical, scalable strategies that can be adapted to their local workflows and community partnerships.
Target Audience
Nurse
Physician
Social Worker
Learning Objectives
1. Describe the relationship between access to primary care and reductions in non‑life‑threatening emergency department utilization among individuals with substance use disorders.
2. Examine how integrated primary care and addiction treatment models can complement COE services to improve continuity of care.
3. Identify at least one evidence‑based primary care strategies that have been shown to reduce ED utilization.
In support of improving patient care, the University of Pittsburgh is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Physician (CME)
The University of Pittsburgh designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Nursing (CNE)
The maximum number of hours awarded for this Continuing Nursing Education activity is 1.0 contact hours.
Social Work (ASWB)
As a Jointly Accredited Organization, the University of Pittsburgh is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 1.0 clinical continuing education credits
Other Healthcare Professionals
Other health care professionals will receive a certificate of attendance confirming the number of contact hours commensurate with the extent of participation in this activity. The certificate of attendance will designate that this activity is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM
Available Credit
- 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
- 1.00 ANCCUPMC Provider Unit is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation
- 1.00 ASWB
- 1.00 Attendance