CDC: Nearly 80% of Adults Visited ER Due to Lack of Access to Other Providers

From January to June 2011, among adults aged 18 to 64 who visited the emergency room in the past 12 months but were not admitted to a hospital, 79.7 percent visited the ER due to a lack of access to other providers, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics (pdf).

The report, “Emergency Room Use Among Adults Aged 18-64: Early Release of Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, January-June 2011,” also found 48 percent of respondents visited the ER because the physician’s office was not open and 46.3 percent because there was no other place to go. In contrast, 66 percent of the 18- to 64-year old ER patients went due to the seriousness of the medical problem and 54.5 percent said they went because “only a hospital could help.”

CDC: Nearly 80% of Adults Visited ER Due to Lack of Access to Other Providers

More Articles on Emergency Department Utilization:

Next Up in Public Health

Why ‘practice-ready’ nursing graduates are a myth

The leaders inspiring health system C-suites

Northwestern Medicine embeds OpenEvidence AI in Epic

More Articles on Emergency Department Utilization:

Next Up in Public Health

Join the 500,000+ healthcare executives who start their day with Becker's