Emergency physician shares how closing information gaps and improving care transitions help frontline teams deliver faster, safer, and more coordinated care.
Emergency departments (EDs) are under increasing pressure due to rising patient volumes, staff shortages, and growing expectations to deliver safe, high-quality care, leaving frontline teams to search for new ways to manage pressure without compromising outcomes.
At the same time, EDs remain the first point of contact for many of the most vulnerable patients, particularly those transferred from skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Unfortunately, these patients often arrive with incomplete information, forcing clinicians to make decisions without the context they need.
As I have seen first-hand as an emergency physician, AI is beginning to transform this equation. By harnessing AI to bridge critical information gaps, EDs can deliver faster, safer, and more coordinated care while also strengthening continuity across the healthcare continuum.
Closing the Information Gap in Post-Acute Transfers
One of the most persistent challenges in ED operations is caring for patients who come from post-acute settings. Typically, such patients arrive in the ED with no information at all or a bulky packet of data not easily or quickly processed. The scenario often results in duplicative tests, treatment delays, and avoidable admissions.
AI-enabled solutions are addressing this challenge by quickly extracting and summarizing the most relevant details from a patient’s recent stay in an SNF. In my practice, ED staff can see what interventions occurred in the last 24 hours and what care is needed next. This structured, real-time intelligence enables providers to quickly determine whether hospitalization is necessary or whether the patient can be safely stabilized and returned to the SNF.
Driving Operational Efficiency and Better Outcomes
Health systems leveraging AI and other technologies have the potential to achieve meaningful reductions in ED utilization, shorten length of stay, prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, and identify individuals at the highest risk of readmission. At the same time, targeted care plans developed in the ED can safely divert frequent utilizers to more appropriate outpatient resources.
Beyond efficiency gains, these technologies also can enhance safety. Real-time alerts about behavioral risks or prior incidents of violence allow ED staff to prepare appropriately, protecting both clinicians and patients. By reducing uncertainty and equipping teams with actionable insights, these tools improve staff satisfaction as well as patient experience.
Supporting Value-Based Care
AI’s ability to reduce avoidable admissions and duplicative diagnostics has important implications for value-based care. Providers are under pressure to deliver high-quality outcomes while controlling costs. By surfacing critical context at the point of care, AI helps clinicians make faster and more confident care decisions, ensuring patients receive the right level of care in the right setting.
This supports financial sustainability but also improves continuity across care transitions. Patients and families benefit from safer, more coordinated experiences, while providers and payers see measurable improvements in quality metrics and resource utilization.
Responsible and Trustworthy AI
As AI becomes more deeply embedded in clinical workflows, it is essential to ensure transparency and trust. The most effective models are designed to highlight relevant information, not replace clinician judgment. Outputs should be traceable to original documentation, allowing providers to validate insights and maintain oversight.
Responsible AI frameworks emphasize fairness, accountability, and privacy, ensuring that models perform equitably across patient groups and comply with rigorous data governance standards. By adhering to these principles, health systems can deploy AI with confidence, knowing it enhances care without introducing new risks.
A Bridge Across the Continuum
AI’s promise in the ED extends beyond operational efficiency. The technology enables a more connected healthcare system that bridges acute and post-acute settings. By unifying insights from across the continuum, AI empowers providers to deliver care not only faster and safer but also more human-centered.
As emergency departments face unprecedented demand and complexity, AI is helping EDs reimagine their role as the nexus of care transitions. By closing longstanding gaps, enabling smarter decisions, and fostering trust, AI is supporting a new standard for emergency care while helping to shape a stronger industry for the future.
Hamad Husainy, DO, FACEP
Hamad Husainy, DO, FACEP, is a practicing emergency physician and chief medical officer of PointClickCare.
