Closing the Loop on ED Discharges: A Playbook for Follow-Up Care and Network Navigation

Closing the Loop on ED Discharges: A Playbook for Follow-Up Care and Network Navigation 

Thursday, December 3, 2026    
1 - 2 p.m. Eastern; noon - 1 p.m. Central; 10 - 11 a.m. Pacific    

Join us for a fireside chat with Peter Van Epps, vice president of strategy at Ascension Texas. Peter will discuss the business case for building an emergency department (ED) navigation program and share how Ascension measures the value of keeping ED patients connected to follow-up care pathways.  

The ED is an essential front door for most health systems, but when these patients are left to self-navigate, follow-up care and outcomes are uncertain. Keeping ED discharges attached to primary and specialty care has downstream benefits for quality programs (fewer ED returns) and financial performance (service line growth).  

Peter will explain how Ascension has partnered with Care Continuity to prioritize ED patients for follow-up navigation, and how the team engages specialist providers to ensure network alignment. The program has a strong ROI and has delivered significant margin growth in key specialties including Cardiology, Orthopedics and Neuro Surgery. With a focus on service line growth and network integrity, Peter will give a strategic perspective on the unique opportunity to build a robust ED navigation program that connects the ED front door to downstream specialty care and in-network procedure capture.

Attendees Will Learn:

• How Ascension Texas rolled out a new ED Navigation program and the operational details of identifying, prioritizing and tracking follow-up care
• The business case for an ED Navigation program and how Ascension measures the downstream ROI and quality outcomes  
• Details of the Care Continuity partnership and how AI technology and expert navigation services are integrated into health system workflows.

Speaker: 

Pete Van Epps 
Vice President of Strategy 
Ascension, Texas 
Austin, Texas