From 1990-2009, 1,041 hospital EDs closed in non-rural areas, one-third of which were not due to closing the entire hospital. The ED closures came at a time when the number of ED visits increased, particularly by patients who were publicly insured and uninsured.
“Our findings expand the evidence base by showing that economic factors related to ED closures are similar to those related to hospital closures and may be even stronger,” the authors wrote.
Read an abstract of the JAMA study on emergency departments.
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