Four pilot programs were launched in Washington State in 2008 to encourage the appropriate use of emergency department care. The pilots build on collaborations between hospitals and community health centers to connect patients with medical homes at community health care clinics. They seek to improve access to primary care and educate patients about when it is appropriate to visit an emergency department. This report lays the groundwork for an evaluation that will assess whether the pilot interventions were associated with a reduction in avoidable emergency department utilization and improved continuity of care. We describe the evaluation study design and present baseline client characteristics and health care utilization measures for statistically matched intervention and comparison groups.
