---
title: Reducing Emergency Department Utilization With an After Visit Summary Nudge Toward Alternative Care Options
nct_id: NCT05787548
overall_status: COMPLETED
phase: NA
sponsor: Geisinger Clinic
study_type: INTERVENTIONAL
primary_condition: Behavior, Health
countries: United States
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/agent/trials/NCT05787548.md"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05787548"
ct_last_update_post_date: 2024-02-26
last_seen_at: "2026-05-12T06:44:33.485Z"
source: ClinicalTrials.gov (mirrored, no enrichment)
---
# Reducing Emergency Department Utilization With an After Visit Summary Nudge Toward Alternative Care Options

**NCT ID:** [NCT05787548](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05787548)

## Key Facts

- **Status:** COMPLETED
- **Phase:** NA
- **Study Type:** INTERVENTIONAL
- **Target Enrollment:** 239841
- **Lead Sponsor:** Geisinger Clinic
- **Conditions:** Behavior, Health
- **Start Date:** 2023-04-03
- **Completion Date:** 2023-12-11
- **CT.gov Last Update:** 2024-02-26

## Brief Summary

Decreasing utilization of the Emergency Department (ED) is a priority for the system. Often, ED visits can be avoided if patients contact Geisinger first to get appropriate direction for their concern or are otherwise better informed about reasons to visit the ED vs. urgent care or primary care facilities. The study team is working to reduce ED utilization by including additional information in adult outpatient After Visit Summaries (AVSs). The study will involve will involve A/B testing different AVS versions, including 1) a version that encourages patients to contact Geisinger via different contact methods, 2) a version that includes a map to the patient's closest ConvenientCare location and accompanying information about ConvenientCare, and 3) a version that includes a self-triage guide. A control group will receive the current standard AVS. Analysis results will be assessed to determine which version is most effective at reducing ED use.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 18 Years
- **Sex:** ALL
- **Healthy Volunteers:** No

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* Age 18+
* Has a Geisinger Primary Care Physician assigned
* Completes an outpatient office visit or telemedicine appointment at Geisinger

Exclusion Criteria:

* The AVS was not printed according to the EHR, and the patient does not have an active MyGeisinger patient portal account, so they do not have a way to view the AVS
```

## Arms

- **Standard practice** (NO_INTERVENTION) — Patients in this arm will receive the current standard practice AVS.
- **Contact us first** (EXPERIMENTAL) — Patients in this arm will receive the standard AVS, plus information on how to contact Geisinger if they need medical attention.
- **Contact us first + urgent care map** (EXPERIMENTAL) — Patients in this arm will receive the standard AVS, plus information on how to contact Geisinger if they need medical attention, plus a map to their nearest Geisinger urgent care location and additional information about urgent care.
- **Contact us first + urgent care map + self-triage** (EXPERIMENTAL) — Patients in this arm will receive the standard AVS, plus information on how to contact Geisinger if they need medical attention, plus a map to their nearest Geisinger urgent care location and additional information about urgent care. This arm will also receive a self-triage chart, with common reasons patients go to the ED and situations where seeking alternative care might be appropriate.

## Interventions

- **Contact information** (BEHAVIORAL) — Information on how to contact Geisinger if the patient needs care
- **Urgent care map** (BEHAVIORAL) — A map of the patient's nearest Geisinger urgent care location, with information about urgent care
- **Self-triage chart** (BEHAVIORAL) — A chart demonstrating what to do in response to several common conditions where the patient might be compelled to visit the ED

## Primary Outcomes

- **Inappropriate ED visits** _(time frame: In the 30 days following the appointment)_ — Visited the ED inappropriately (y/n)

We will apply the NYU algorithm (Ballard et al., 2010) to determine whether an ED visit is inappropriate.

## Locations (1)

- Geisinger Clinic, Danville, Pennsylvania, United States

## Recent Field Changes (last 30 days)

- `eligibility.sex` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.overallStatus` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.primaryCompletionDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.completionDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.lastUpdatePostDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `design.phases` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `design.enrollmentCount` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.criteria` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.minAge` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `outcomes.primary` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `armsInterventions.arms` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `armsInterventions.interventions` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `sponsor.lead` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `results.hasResults` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `locations.geisinger clinic|danville|pennsylvania|united states` — added _(2026-05-12)_

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/agent/trials/NCT05787548.md*  
*Source data (authoritative): https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05787548*  
*This page is a raw mirror with no AI summary, no editorial enrichment, and no Parkinson's-specific filtering.*