ED visits at all-time high, only 4.3% nonurgent

New data released by the CDC found that ED visits reached 145.6 million in 2016, an increase from the 136.9 million visits in 2015. Only 4.3% of visits were due to nonurgent symptoms.

“Emergency physicians are uniquely qualified to provide essential care that patients can’t get anywhere else,” Vidor Friedman, MD, FACEP, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians, said in a press release. “Nearly two-thirds of visits occur after business hours, when other doctors’ offices are closed. Millions of patients rely on emergency physicians for rapid diagnosis and treatment of acute illness, while emergency departments are increasingly viewed as a hub for care and care transitions.”

The data were collected from the 2016 Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS), a nationwide survey of ED visits, outpatient departments, and hospital-based ambulatory surgical centers. The survey was conducted from Dec. 28, 2015, to Dec. 25, 2016. Data were collected electronically using a computerized instrument developed by the U.S. Census Bureau and were weighted to form unbiased, national annual estimates.

Of the 450 hospitals originally selected for the 2016 NHAMCS, 265 hospitals that were in scope and had eligible EDs participated in the survey.

Results of the survey shows that wait times improved in 2016, with 39% of patients waiting less than 15 minutes and 72% waiting less than an hour to see a physician. The median wait time was 17 minutes.

Common reasons for patients to seek emergency care included stomach pain (8.6%; 12.5 million visits) and chest pain (5.2%; 7.5 million visits).

Injuries were cited as the reason for 42.2 million (29%) ED visits. Of those, 10.5 million were caused by falls and 3.7 million were caused by motor vehicle accidents. Visits caused by illness were more common than those attributed to injury and most frequently involved children 15 years and younger (18.8%; 27.4 million visits) or adults 65 years and older (15.9%; 23.1 million visits).

Nearly 60% of emergency care was delivered outside of regular business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

“Emergency physicians are proud to provide care to anyone, anytime,” Friedman said. “Emergency care is growing more complex and some of the larger trends that will impact emergency department planning and resource discussions include the rising number of elderly patients, preventing and treating opioid abuse, and the role of the emergency department in treating and managing patients with mental illness.” – by Erin Michael

Reference:

Rui P, et al. National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2016 emergency department summary tables. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhamcs/web_tables/2016_ed_web_tables.pdf. Accessed May 1, 2018.

Disclosures: Healio Primary Care Today was unable to confirm relevant financial disclosures prior to publication.