Connecting ED Patients to Critical Financial Assistance Programs

Connecting ED Patients to Critical Financial Assistance Programs

topic area

Social Determinants of Health

status

Dissemination

about

Each year, more than $80 billion in public benefits — including assistance with food, income, housing, and healthcare — goes unclaimed across the United States. Hospitals, specifically Emergency Departments (EDs), offer a novel opportunity to reduce financial stress for low-income patients and engage them regarding benefit eligibility.


In this pilot project, we tested a model in which health systems connect ED patients to benefits through a partnership with a nonprofit focused on supporting benefits enrollment. Two interventions were tested: one that included in-person recruitment in the ED and a warm handoff to benefits assistance and another
that utilized text-based interventions to connect the patient to benefits.

findings and impact

looking ahead

The AHE research team plans to expand this research into a larger intervention through new grant support and partnerships with other emergency departments in Philadelphia. This expansion could help reach patients across the city and fill a much-needed gap in the benefits access space with the recent closure of
Benefits Data Trust. BenePhilly, a program originally managed by Benefits Data Trust, continues to operate through other partners to connect Philadelphians to vital public benefits assistance.