The Rapid Access Clinic (RAC) program enables specialist clinical units to maintain ongoing care, responsibility, and oversight for the non-elective care of their patients when they experience an exacerbation of chronic illness at home. It provides opportunity to test different access mechanisms for patients known to the health service and their General Practitioners, for urgent clinical needs which do not require a presentation to Emergency Department (ED) or readmission.
The first of 10 RAC pilot programs has been completed at Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH), following the announcement of funding to 10 Hospital and Health Services (HHSs) to reduce ED pressure.
At SCUH, rapid access to clinical care is enabled for known or existing patients with emergent conditions likely to necessitate an emergency department (ED) presentation.
Historically at SCUH, patients known to the hospital system were managed for exacerbations of their illness after discharge in exactly the same way as patients who were unknown to the health service. This resulted in patients well known to specialists and units presenting to the ED to be seen, assessed, and treated by a team of doctors who have never seen that patient before.
This RAC revealed it potential as a preventative healthcare initiative as well as an alternative pathway to urgent care, to redefine the role of EDs, and to reduce hospital readmissions.
