Emergency Visits Drop 51% and Hospitalizations Fall 57% for IBD Patients Following Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s Urgent Care Initiative

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Rachel Peifer
[email protected]

New York, NY — July 29, 2025 — The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation announced today that patients with IBD experienced a 51% reduction in emergency department (ED) visits and a 57% decrease in hospitalizations over three years, following the implementation of a Quality Improvement Initiative in its IBD Qorus® program.

Results of the study were published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

IBD Qorus®, the Foundation’s national quality improvement program, unites gastroenterologists across the country to apply strategies and share proven results that deliver better patient care. Through its Urgent Care Quality Improvement Initiative, IBD Qorus designed interventions to help clinics identify high-risk IBD patients and intervene early with actions like maintaining high-risk patient lists, proactive outreach, and reserving urgent appointments. Since its launch, the percentage of patients reporting a recent ED visit for IBD dropped from 15.3% to 7.6%, and hospitalizations dropped from 12.7% to 5.5%, with these improvement gains holding steady for more than three years after the 15-month QI intervention. ED visits and hospitalizations are a major burden on patients, both in time, stress, and financial costs.  

The study analyzed data from more than 50,000 patient visits across 50 gastroenterology practices engaged in QI methods to improve care in the IBD Qorus® network between February 2018 and February 2019, and then followed until November 2023. At each clinical visit, patient- and provider-reported outcomes were collected, including ED visits, hospitalizations, steroid and opioid use, and disease activity. Using standard quality improvement methodology – specifically statistical process control charts – the data confirmed that these reductions were significant and then were sustained over time.

The Foundation converted the interventions into an  Urgent Care Toolkit, a set of practical resources and best practices that empower clinics to identify patients at higher risk for urgent care needs and take early action to prevent complications and unnecessary hospital visits.

“These results are significant because they show that when providers work together and apply proven strategies, we can make a real difference in the lives of people with IBD,” said James Testaverde, MPA, Associate Vice President of IBD Qorus Implementation at the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. “Sustained reductions in emergency visits and hospitalizations mean better health outcomes and less disruption for patients and their families.”

“This study shows that simple practice changes by doctors across the country can make a real, lasting difference for people living with IBD nationwide,” said the study’s lead author, Gil Melmed, MD, Director, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Trials, Cedars Sinai. “We’re helping patients avoid emergency visits and hospital stays, so they can focus more on living their lives. I encourage all gastroenterology practices to visit the Toolkit and adopt these best practices.”

This project is supported by a grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.