Connect to Care Program Sees Significant Growth, Continued Engagement with Primary Care
Each year, nearly half of all emergency department visits in Milwaukee County are classified as non-emergencies, with about 65% involving Medicaid and uninsured individuals. All too often, people who are uninsured or underinsured use the emergency department (ED) to access primary care or other ambulatory services.
Since 2007, the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership (MHCP) Connect to Care Program has worked to decrease avoidable ED visits and related hospitalizations, reduce duplicative tests and procedures, and connect high-risk individuals with health homes and other health resources, including behavioral health and dental care. Patients who present in hospital and community settings are scheduled before discharge for a follow-up appointment at a participating primary care clinic, often a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), through a shared scheduling software.
The program has seen significant growth in 2025, with nearly a 40% increase in appointments and the addition of four new participating sites.
“While the pandemic years significantly disrupted the program, the need to better connect people to primary care was more critical than ever,” said Kate Graham, Director of Access, MHCP. “Over the past two years, we’ve worked to re-engage current partners, bring on new sites, implement process improvements, and analyze data to ensure the program is best serving our members and their patients. We’re now seeing the impacts of those efforts.”
A five-year analysis of patients seen through the program at a participating Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) demonstrated a strong show rate beyond the first appointment and improved insurance coverage stability. 50% of patients made and kept appointments beyond the first visit. And, while 51% of patients seen were initially uninsured, nearly half obtained coverage through FQHC enrollment support and continued with regular care.
“There are many points in a person’s care journey where they can fall off care, lose insurance coverage, or miss resources available to them,” said Nichole Gladney, Director of Community Health Services and Engagement, Ascension Wisconsin. “While the primary care appointment made through this program is critical, it also connects them to all that is offered at FQHCs and Safety Net Clinics, like enrollment support, behavioral health care, dental care, and social services. The program works because all the partners – health systems, FQHCs, public health, emergency medicine – we all want the best care possible for our patients, and we work together to connect them to that care.”
Referral partners include emergency departments, public health departments, hospital mobile units, hospital inpatient and outpatient settings, and other community-based settings. Receiving clinics include the Milwaukee-area FQHCs and look-a-likes, along with several free clinics. Nearly 350 people were connected to regular care from January to October 2025, and nearly 70,000 people since the program’s inception in 2007.