The following are four key findings on ED use in the U.S., based on data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey in 2012, covered in a National Center for Health Statistics briefing this June.
1. In the five most populous states, ED visit rates ranged from 37 per 100 people (New York) to 49 per 100 people (Texas).
2. The percentage of ED visits resulting in admission to the same hospital was higher in California and Florida (16 and 17 percent) than the nation (11 percent).
3. Nationally, adults aged 18 to 64 made up 63 percent of all ED visits, with children under 18 coming in at 21 percent and the elderly at 16 percent. However, in Florida, children made up only 11 percent of ED visits, while the elderly made up 20 percent of the visits.
4. Payers for ED visits also varied among the five states. For instance, private insurance was the expected payment source for 29 percent of ED visits in the nation, but in Illinois, that sat at 23 percent. Additionally, Medicaid or CHIP was the expected payment source in Illinois for 34 percent of visits, while nationally that rate was just 25 percent and in Florida it was just 16 percent.
See the full briefing here.
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