Medicare was the primary payer for more than half of emergency department visits that resulted in admission to the same hospital in 2011, according to a statistical brief from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Here are four key findings from the brief:
• In 2011, there were about 421 visits to the ED for every 1,000 individuals in the population.
• Among patients younger than 18 years, the most common reasons for hospital admission after an ED visit were acute bronchitis, asthma and pneumonia.
• For adults, between the ages of 45 and 84 years, septicemia was the most common reason for admission to the hospital after an ED visit.
• Rural areas had a higher rate of ED visits resulting in discharge as compared with urban areas.
More Articles on Quality:
Despite Guidelines, Antibiotics Prescribed at High Rate for Bronchitis
New Pathogen-Identification Method Leads to Cost Savings: Study
Kaiser South Sacramento Patients Potentially Exposed to Whooping Cough