Emergency care in 2025: why redirection partners matter

Across Canada, emergency departments are facing record-breaking patient volumes. From April 2023 to March 2024, there were nearly 15.5 million unscheduled emergency department visits, an increase of 400,000 visits compared to the previous year.

According to recent data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), approximately one in seven ER visits were for conditions that could have been managed in a primary care setting. Among visits for young children, this number rose to over one in four, with cases such as colds, sore throats, ear infections, and prescription refills.

Patient redirection can help, but it requires a win-win approach

To address these challenges, many hospitals are turning to patient redirection programs to divert non-urgent cases to more appropriate healthcare settings, such as walk-in clinics, family physicians, and community health centers. This approach is crucial, especially considering that over one in three non-urgent ER visits occur during regular family physician office hours, suggesting that many patients opt for emergency care despite the availability of primary care alternatives.

However, for redirection programs to succeed, they must also be beneficial for partner facilities, not just hospitals. Family physicians and medical clinics are often concerned about increased workloads and scheduling disruptions, which is why flexible scheduling tools are essential. These tools allow clinics to fill last-minute cancellations with redirected patients, while the predictable nature of redirected cases leads to quicker, more efficient consultations, benefiting both patients and providers.

Key questions to ensure your ER redirection solution is partner-friendly

Before implementing a redirection program and choosing a solution, consider these critical questions to ensure successful collaboration with clinics, FCCs, and other healthcare providers:

• Does the redirection system provide partner facilities with flexible scheduling tools to manage redirection slots efficiently?
• Are there built-in analytics tools to assess patient flow and predict case types?
• Can no-show rates and appointment outcomes be tracked?
• Do redirected patients leave the ER with clear instructions, including the exact date and time of their appointment, and directions to the selected facility?
• Is the platform compatible with existing healthcare IT systems to facilitate integration?
• Are redirection options tailored to patient needs to ensure they are sent to a facility that is fully equipped to handle their specific condition?
• Are onboarding resources available for partner facilities, such as manuals, case studies, and technical support, to ensure smooth adoption of the system?

A proven approach to safe and efficient redirection

While partner facility engagement is a critical factor, it is just one of ten key success factors identified by LGI Healthcare Solutions over the past decade to optimize emergency department redirection. A well-designed redirection program must also consider elements such as scientific validation, ease of implementation, staff adoption, and integrated assessment and booking systems.

To learn more about the ten proven strategies that can help hospitals implement a successful patient redirection program, download our latest eBook—built on 10 years of experience and over 300,000 successfully redirected patients across Canada and Europe.