![]() ![]() Because of the significance of potentially preventable ED encounters, it is important to identify factors that lead to improper ED utilization. ED overcrowding has been shown to lead to treatment delays and impact patient mortality. Furthermore, overutilization of EDs, particularly by patients who could have sought treatment elsewhere, has the effect of increased ED wait times and inefficiency. It is estimated that preventing unnecessary ED visits could provide a cost savings of approximately $4.4 billion annually in the United States. Regardless of the approach used to evaluate preventable ED visits, it is clear that there is a need to address this issue.Īvoidable ED visits place a huge burden on the healthcare system, including rising costs and ED overcrowding. A more recent and conservative study found that 3.3% of all ED visits were for conditions that could have been treated elsewhere. According to one study, an estimated 13.7% to 27.1% of ED visits in the United States could have been treated at either a retail clinic or urgent care center. Furthermore, many patients seek care in the ED for complications and conditions that could possibly have been prevented with proper outpatient care. While many patients who seek care in the ED have conditions that require immediate medical attention, patients also use the ED for treatment of primary care illnesses that could be managed in other settings, such as urgent care centers or outpatient clinics. The emergency department (ED) is a necessary component of healthcare services where urgent and critical health concerns are managed. In addition, a comprehensive assessment of social determinants of health in patients overutilizing the ED will allow for better alignment of resources and policy changes to improve healthcare access and community health. To reduce the burden of ED overutilization on the healthcare system, healthcare providers must better educate the at-risk populations about proper ED use. This study identified demographics within Broward County associated with avoidable ED visits. Patients covered by Medicaid had greater mean rates of non-emergent and emergent primary care-treatable visits compared to patients using other payment or insurance methods. Women had greater mean rates compared to men for non-emergent ED visits males had higher mean rates than females for emergent primary care-treatable and emergent preventable. Secondary data analysis was conducted utilizing a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post-hoc analysis to compare the proportions of non-emergent, emergent primary care-treatable, and emergent preventable ED visits amongst different race/ethnicities, genders, and payment/insurance methods.Ĭompared to non-Hispanic white patients, non-Hispanic black and Hispanic patients had higher mean rates of non-emergent ED visits. ![]() This study utilized a dataset from the Broward Regional Health Planning Council that included ED visits in Broward County in 2019. The objective of this study is to determine the impact that race/ethnicity, gender, and payment methods have on the rates of avoidable ED visits at hospitals in Broward County, Florida. Broward County, Florida, is diverse with people from many different socioeconomic backgrounds. Previous studies have shown that differences in race, gender, and income level have been associated with avoidable ED visits. Improper utilization of emergency departments (EDs) in the United States is an issue that places a large burden on the healthcare system. ![]()
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