In 2005, uninsured emergency department visits were the least likely cases to be admitted to the hospital, with only 7.4 percent of uninsured visits resulting in a hospital stay, according to a new Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality statistical brief. The researchers examined 2005 data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) on ED visits for adults age 18 years and older in 23 states that had submitted HCUP data.
Among the study’s other findings, rates of ED visits were inversely related to wealth: The rate of ED visits in the poorest communities was nearly twice that in the wealthiest communities (481.4 visits per 1,000 people in the poorest communities compared with 260.7 visits per 1,000 in the wealthiest communities).
“The scarcity of primary care practitioners in cities and rural areas may contribute to an increasing reliance on EDs,” wrote the researchers. “Understanding the conditions for which individuals are visiting EDs may provide much needed insight into the accessibility of preventive and ambulatory care.” Read the statistical brief.
