Patients involved in car crashes are more likely to have private insurance than other types of emergency department (ED) patients, according to recent research from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Fifty-five percent of ED visits related to motor vehicle crashes were covered by private payers in 2006. In comparison, only 34 percent of other types of ED visits were covered by private payers.
A January AHRQ statistical brief also provides hospital leaders with insight on how car crashes affect patient flow. For example, about 85 percent of motor vehicle victims were released from EDs after treatment for minor injuries, such as sprains. ED visits related to car crashes resulted in hospital admission about half as often as ED visits related to other causes (8 percent versus 15.6 percent).
