The rest of first-contact visits were made to specialists (20 percent) or outpatient departments (7 percent), according to data from 2001-2004.
While fewer than 5 percent of the medical profession is in emergency medicine, emergency physicians handle a quarter of all acute care encounters and more than half of such visits by the uninsured.
Read the Health Affairs report on EDs.
Read more coverage on EDs:
– Many ED Visits Could be Redirected, Saving $4.4B Nationwide
– 4 Ways Emergency Departments Will Change Over The Next Five Years
– AHA Wants Withdrawal of New Rules on Out-of-Network Payments for ED Services
