Researchers analyzed more than 59,000 ED visits at a large, urban ED from December 2009 through November 2010. Thirty-one percent of patients qualified as high-frequency ED users, as they visited the ED 20 or more times during the year. These users accounted for 1.1 percent of all ED visits and their admission rate was 15 percent compared with 21 percent for other ED patients.
High-frequency ED users were more likely to have the following characteristics than other ED patients:
• Aged 30 to 59
• Stably insured
• Have at least one significant psychosocial cofactor
The authors concluded, “Given their small proportion of visits, lower admission rates and favorable insurance status, the impact of high-frequency users of the ED may be out of proportion to common perceptions.”
More Articles on ED Utilization:
2 Recent Examples of Reducing ED Visits by Frequent Users
Study: ED Physicians’ Admit Rates Vary Widely in Single System
Study: Perceived ED Wait Times Affect Patients’ ED Choice
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