Emergency Care Centers Facilitating the Emergency Burden in the United States

New Study Reveals Friday, September 7, 2018 (HealthDay News) – For minor illnesses such as sore throats, privately insured Americans are increasingly using emergency care centers rather than treatment rooms. emergency hospitals.

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston analyzed the 2008-2015 data from Aetna, the commercial health insurance company.

"The decline in emergency room visits is quite striking and represents a significant shift in the care of patients with sore throats and minor injuries," said Dr. Sabrina Poon, author of the study and emergency physician.

Poon and colleagues found a 36% drop in emergency visits for minor conditions and injuries during the study period. Meanwhile, the use of non-ER services – including emergency care clinics, retail clinics and telemedicine – has increased by 140%.

The largest increase (119%) in non-ER services was in emergency care centers, according to the study.

Given the high cost of emergency room care, many insurance plans encourage patients to go elsewhere to treat minor problems, the researchers noted.

"The growing popularity of emergency department alternatives is likely due to a variety of factors, including cost, convenience, and long wait times," said Dr. Jay Schuur, co-author of the emergency department. study, emergency physician at Brigham and Women's.

"In the coming years, it will be important to see how these trends evolve and whether the growth of alternative sites translates into lower costs of care or increased use of medical care," said Schuur.

The results were published in September 4 JAMA Internal Medicine.

More information

The American College of Emergency Physicians explains the difference between emergency care and urgent care.

SOURCE: Brigham and Women's Hospital, press release, September 4, 2018