Insured Americans leading contributor to increased ED visits

CAL/AAEM News Service pottsbri@yahoo.com
Fri, 24 Oct 2003 21:32:19 -0700 (PDT)


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AHA NEWS NOW

The Daily Report for Health Care Executives

www.ahanews.com

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Thursday, Oct. 23, 2003

1) Insured Americans leading contributor to increased ED visits 

A new analysis of hospital emergency department visits indicates insured patients, rather than the uninsured, accounted for most of the 16% increase in ED visits between 1996 and 2001. The study by the Center for Studying Health System Change found ED visits increased 24% for privately insured patients, 10% for Medicare beneficiaries, and 10% for self-pay or no-charge patients (typically uninsured) during the period. It also found a 37% decrease in physician office visits by uninsured patients during the period, an indication that medical resources other than emergency rooms are dwindling for uninsured Americans. Carmela Coyle, AHA senior vice president for policy, said the study "reflects what we're hearing from America's

hospitals: our emergency departments are busier than ever. More and more people are turning to the emergency department for care regardless of insurance status." The report, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is available at http://www.hschange.org.

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Copyright 2003 by the American Hospital Association. All rights reserved. For republication rights, contact Craig Webb.

AHA News is a registered trademark of the American Hospital Association. The opinions expressed in AHA News Now are not necessarily those of the American Hospital Association.



Brian Potts 
Managing Editor, CAL/AAEM News Service 
MS-IV, UC-Irvine

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<P>AHA NEWS NOW</P>
<P>The Daily Report for Health Care Executives</P>
<P></FONT><A href="http://us.f413.mail.yahoo.com/ym/www.ahanews.com"><U><FONT color=#0000ff size=2>www.ahanews.com</U></FONT></A></P><FONT size=2>
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<P>Thursday, Oct. 23, 2003</P>
<P>1) Insured Americans leading contributor to increased ED visits </P>
<P>A new analysis of hospital emergency department visits indicates insured patients, rather than the uninsured, accounted for most of the 16% increase in ED visits between 1996 and 2001. The study by the Center for Studying Health System Change found ED visits increased 24% for privately insured patients, 10% for Medicare beneficiaries, and 10% for self-pay or no-charge patients (typically uninsured) during the period. It also found a 37% decrease in physician office visits by uninsured patients during the period, an indication that medical resources other than emergency rooms are dwindling for uninsured Americans. Carmela Coyle, AHA senior vice president for policy, said the study "reflects what we're hearing from America's</P>
<P>hospitals: our emergency departments are busier than ever. More and more people are turning to the emergency department for care regardless of insurance status." The report, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is available at </FONT><A href="http://www.hschange.org/"><U><FONT color=#0000ff size=2>http://www.hschange.org</U></FONT></A><FONT size=2>.</P>
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<P>Copyright 2003 by the American Hospital Association. All rights reserved. For republication rights, contact Craig Webb.</P>
<P>AHA News is a registered trademark of the American Hospital Association. The opinions expressed in AHA News Now are not necessarily those of the American Hospital Association.</P></FONT></DIV><BR><BR><STRONG>Brian Potts <BR>Managing Editor, CAL/AAEM News Service</STRONG> <BR>MS-IV, UC-Irvine<p><hr SIZE=1>
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