The release focused on a proposal in the South Carolina legislature to keep patients out of the ED. There is “no indication that it would actually save the state money, though it would accomplish the goal of discouraging sick people from seeking medical care they desperately need,” said ACEP President Sandra Schneider, MD, in a statement.
She stated emergency care accounts for just 3 percent of U.S. healthcare spending, while two-thirds of all ED visits occur after normal business hours. Also, frequent users make up only 8 percent of all ED patients and have complex physical and mental health problems.
“Focusing on emergency care as a source of waste in the health care system is counterproductive,” Dr. Schneider added.
Read the ACEP release on emergency departments.
Read more coverage of use of emergency departments.
