Case Study: Shawnee Mission Medical Center achieves 46% reduction in ED visits and lowers Medicare readmission penalties with Cerner Acute Case Management

Reducing ED visits and Medicare readmissions at Shawnee Mission Medical Center

Shawnee Mission Medical Center (SMMC) faced rising CMS readmission penalties and a costly pattern of frequent, non‑acute emergency department (ED) use. To address this, SMMC launched the Bridge Care program using Cerner Care Management to target 75 high‑use patients and reduce unnecessary ED visits and readmissions — ultimately achieving a 46% drop in ED visits and lowering Medicare readmission penalties.

Bridge Care pairs a nurse and social worker to identify multi‑visit patients (≥12 ED visits/year), create a single shared acute care plan visible on the ED tracking board, and deliver education, care coordination, referrals, financial assistance and psychosocial support. By collaborating with community partners (mental health, safety‑net clinics, EMS, managed care), the program freed ED capacity, reduced wait times and produced tangible improvements — for example, a patient who had 22 ED visits in three months had no hospitalizations for nearly six months after intervention.

Shawnee Mission Medical Center

Kim King

Administrative Director of Care Coordination