95% of patients on Nurse-1-1 who were considering an ER visit end up receiving a non-emergent recommendation from a nurse
BOSTON — June 15, 2020 — Today, Nurse-1-1 releases a white paper showing where the flaws exist in the current expensive and often inaccessible health care system.
One top finding is 95% of patients who are considering visiting the ER are actually given a non-emergent recommendation (e.g. home care or telemedicine visit with a doctor) by their nurse. This has huge cost saving implications for risk-bearing entities, payers, digital health companies, and state health departments, as the ER can cost upwards of $2,032 per visit.
Over the course of two months, over 30,000 unique patients visited Nurse-1-1.com. Metrics collected during this time are outlined in the Nurse-1-1 Utilization Management White Paper. Additional highlights include:
- 17% of patients indicated they were considering going to the ER before they chatted with a nurse
- 255% increase in patient signups for one of Nurse-1-1’s largest digital health partners
- Of the more than 30k unique patients who visited nurse-1-1.com over the two month period, 20% reported being uninsured and 45% reported not having a PCP
The coronavirus pandemic has brought the failings of the US healthcare system into greater focus by highlighting just how costly, inaccessible, and unjust the system is. Even before the pandemic, health costs were rising, with the sick facing crushing medical debt and the uninsured turning to our emergency rooms for routine health questions. In fact, America spends twice as much on healthcare as other high-income countries, yet studies show we fail to produce healthier citizens and approximately 30% of health care spending may be considered waste.
As we re-examine our current policies and attempt to shift towards a more sustainable and equitable healthcare system, patients need to stay informed and properly navigated throughout the care journey in order to properly manage utilization and reduce costs. Nurse-1-1 offers an effective solution to achieve both lower healthcare costs and increased patient engagement. The customizable, on-demand nurse chat can reach large numbers of patients at any time from anywhere, 24/7/365, and offers a tailored approach to right-sizing care for risk-bearing entities, payers, digital health companies, and state health departments.
About Nurse-1-1
Nurse-1-1 is an on-demand nurse chat that allows anybody to chat securely and immediately with a nurse 24/7 for healthcare information and guidance. Our mission is to provide accessible and compassionate healthcare to the billions of worried patients searching for information about their health concerns every day. With a network of over 1,100 highly experienced nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, we reach patients through personalized, live, text and photo-based nurse chats, providing trusted health information so they can make better decisions about where they should turn to for care. Visit nurse-1-1.com for more information.
