|
|||||||||
Media Home | Contact Us |
|
Press Release
Visits to U.S. Emergency Departments at All-Time High; Number of Departments ShrinkingVisits to the nations emergency departments (EDs) reached a record high of nearly 114 million in 2003, but the number of EDs decreased by 14 percent from 1993 to 2003, according to a new report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report attributes the rise in ED visits to increased use by adults, especially those 65 years old and over. Among people aged 65-74, the ED visit rate was more than five times higher for those residing in a nursing home or other institution compared with those not living in an institutionalized setting. The report also finds that Medicaid patients were four times (81 visits per 100 people) more likely to seek treatment in from an ED than those with private insurance (22 visits per 100 people.) Emergency departments are a safety net and often the place of first resort for health care for Americas poor and uninsured, said Linda McCaig of CDCs National Center for Health Statistics and the reports lead author. This annual study of the nations emergency departments is part of a series of surveys of health care in the United States and provides current information for the development of policies and programs designed to meet Americas health care needs. Other findings in the report include:
The CDC report describes hospital, patient and visit characteristics for hospital emergency departments in the United States as well as trends in ED use between 1993 and 2003. The information is based on data from the 2003 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) Emergency Department Summary, which is a national probability-based sample survey of visits to emergency and outpatient departments of non Federal, short stay, and general hospitals in the United States conducted by CDCs National Center for Health Statistics. For a copy of the full report visit
www.cdc.gov/nchs. |
Media Home Page
| Accessibility |
Privacy Policy |
Contact Us This page last updated May 26, 2005 United
States Department of Health and Human Services |