Finding Value in the Emergency Department: New Opportunities to improve Acute Care Delivery

Austin Kilaru, MD, MSHP

University of Pennsylvania, Emerging Scholar Exchange Program

April 29, 2026

12 - 1 pm

Use of the emergency department (ED) is often considered low value, with countless interventions to reduce ED visits. This talk will focus on opportunities to improve value when people do seek emergency care, which occurs more than ever. Dr. Kilaru will discuss his research into policy and clinical interventions to reduce avoidable admissions, improve care navigation following discharge, and address social needs.

Austin Kilaru, MD, MSHP is an emergency physician and health services researcher. His work focuses on innovations in the delivery and financing of acute care, including policy and clinical interventions to improve value, care transitions, and health-related social needs. He is the Deputy Director of the Parity Center, a multidisciplinary team at the University of Pennsylvania that studies the intersection of payment and health equity. He also serves as a clinical leader for the Penn Medicine Home Hospital. His research is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute as well as national foundations. His research has been featured in the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, JAMA Health Forum, and Annals of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Kilaru attended Yale University, where he studied English. He received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania and trained in emergency medicine at Highland Hospital in Oakland, California, where he served as chief resident. He completed the National Clinical Scholars Program at Penn and received a Master’s degree in Health Policy Research prior to joining the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania.