Efficiency Is a Cost Strategy
Better coordination is not just essential to high-quality care—it’s cost-effective care. By replacing manual workflows with shared data, streamlined referrals, and real-time alerts, hospitals and health systems can:
- Reduce avoidable hospitalizations
- Lower total cost of care
- Improve staff efficiency and reduce administrative burden
- Strengthen partnerships between clinical and community-based providers
Especially in safety-net systems, where capacity and funding are tight, these gains are particularly essential in 2026, when cost considerations while serving communities in need may be more important than ever for hospitals and health systems.
Strategic Data Sharing Drives Real Outcomes
Data sharing becomes a lever for change when used strategically – not just as another item on the to-do list. In 2024, Alta-Prospect Health System and its Coordinated Regional Care Group (CRC), a network supporting 130,000 Medi-Cal beneficiaries across six Los Angeles County hospitals, knew it wanted to improve efficiency and effectiveness. These patients often face complex medical and social challenges—requiring coordinated attention to chronic disease, housing instability, food insecurity, transportation barriers, and employment needs.
To achieve its goals, CRC implemented QHIO LANES’ health data exchange platform to coordinate care more effectively and streamline referrals to Partners In Care Foundation (Partners), a key social care provider.
The result: fewer unnecessary returns to the hospital, faster connection to community-based services, and a measurable reduction in expensive acute care utilization—helping improve care affordability.
Addressing Fragmented Workflows to Reduce Avoidable Costs
Prior to adopting LANES, CRC and Partners relied on manual, time-consuming processes to identify patients in need and refer them to social support programs. Without automated alerts or a shared data environment:
- Patient referrals could be delayed or missed entirely
- Staff spent valuable time searching, faxing, and re-documenting
- Patients often re-entered the hospital before social support could be coordinated
This inefficiency not only strained care teams; it led to higher inpatient utilization and costs.
LANES collaborated with CRC and Partners to restructure the referral and coordination workflow with efficiency and cost savings in mind. Key steps included:
- Automated Patient Referrals: LANES Smart Alerts flagged CRC members admitted to inpatient care, eliminating manual referrals to Partners.
- Shared, Real-Time Patient Records: Care teams across clinical and community settings accessed the same patient information—reducing duplication and time spent gathering data.
- Training and Consistent Workflow Alignment: Staff learned to use the LANES portal as a central communication and tracking hub rather than relying on multiple disconnected systems.
- Referral Streamlining: Instead of manual emails or faxes, CRC launched the first phase of a closed-loop referral system to Partners through LANES.
The Results: A 68% Reduction in Inpatient Visits, Even as Enrollment Grew
The initiative aimed to reduce costly acute care returns among Medi-Cal beneficiaries with complex needs. Within one year, CRC patients eligible for Enhanced Care Management experienced a 68% reduction in inpatient visits.
And, acute care usage declined, despite an increase in CRC enrollment.
This indicates that the efficiency gains were not simply a function of serving fewer patients; they reflect better care coordination and faster access to the right services at the right time. Fewer emergency room visits, combined with fewer hospital admissions, translate directly into cost savings for hospitals, health plans, and the Medi-Cal system overall.
This collaboration demonstrates what happens when hospitals, community organizations, and technology partners align around a common goal: simplifying coordination so patients get what they need sooner, and systems avoid the preventable costs of delayed care.
Learn more about how Alta-Prospect Health System and its Coordinated Regional Care Group (CRC) uses LANES.