b'Finally, fixing the problems in the Care Gap is critical to keeping clinicians out of unsolvable situations. Think of an ED clogged with behavioral health patients who cannot be placed in either inpatient or outpatient facilities. Problems like this take a considerable toll not only on patients and families, but also on clinician morale, as they struggle to deal with the fallout from system failures outside the hospital.ConclusionIt is no small task ahead of us. Pre-pandemic data already alerted us to the opportunity for positive change that can come from addressing this critical Gap in post-discharge care. The pandemic has not only added new challenges and stresses but as importantly, has amplified our focus on weaknesses that were already present.What happens in the Gap is critically important. For the sake of patients, clinicians, employers, and payors, and for the overall health of our system, we must be agents of transformation. We must invest in the continuum of our patients journey and advocate for change. And we must meaningfully incorporate the emergency department as a critical element of solution-making.Anything less will yield the same system we have today.What we have today is entirely unacceptable for our patients and unsustainable for our health care system.Our system is begging for innovative solutions.We must deliver.This year, SCP will release several additional resources that focus on how to address these challenges, examining the issue both from the perspective of different service lines and different stages in the patient journey, inside and outside of the hospital. The pressure to do better is immensebut so is the opportunity.References:1 NAMCS/NHAMCSAmbulatory Health Care Data Homepage Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 July 20212 DeloitteViewing post-acute care in a new light: Strategies to drive value.3https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/life-sciences-health-care/us-lshc-post-acute-care-innovation-report.pdf 4Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care MedicineHospital Readmission from Post-Acute Care Facilities: Risk Factors, Timing, and Outcomes, 20 December 20155https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb199-Readmissions-Payer-Age.jsp 6 https://www.kff.org/health-costs/report/2021-employer-health-benefits-survey/ and https://www.kff.org/report-section/ehbs-2021-summary-of-findings/attachment/figure-a-38/ 7https://www.kff.org/health-costs/press-release/average-family-premiums-rose-4-this-year-to-top-22000/ 8https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/u-s-spending-healthcare-changed-time/ 9https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb205-Hospital-Discharge-Postacute-Care.jsp10 https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/life-sciences-health-care/us-lshc-post-acute-care-innovation-report.pdf Together, we healTogether, we heal 6Together, we heal SCP HEALTHITHE GAP: WHY WE SHOULD CARE'