Nonurgent Emergency Department Visits: Meeting an Unmet Need

Abstract

Americans will visit hospital emergency departments (EDs) more than 90 million times this year.2Growth in ED visits has been particularly pronounced among Medicaid and Medicare recipients and uninsured patients.3Although many patients seek emergency care for problems that threaten life or limb, most have less serious conditions. Use of the ED for nonurgent care has become so widespread that it is commonly cited as a major contributor to increasing health care costs.4,5 Federal reports estimate that between 40% and 55% of all ED visits involve nonurgent problems.3,6Because care of minor illness or injuries in the ED generates greater charges, on average, than comparable care in a physician's office or outpatient clinic, various administrative and financial strategies have been proposed to divert patients from the ED. It is also assumed that demand for nonurgent care in the ED will decline when everyone is covered by