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Description

Emergency departments have been designed to provide rapid and accessible care for emergent and acute needs for a broad scope of illnesses and injuries.1-2 However, the emergency department (ED) has been facing an overwhelming increase in demand, leading to an increase in wait time and significant overcrowding, which decreases the effectiveness of the ED.1-4 A common explanation that has been noted over the years is utilization of ED services for non-emergent care, which professionals have often labeled as “inappropriate use.”2,5 Such encounters take away time from ED physicians and health care workers, compromising the care for true emergencies and leading to suboptimal care of the non-emergency visits that could be addressed more appropriately in a more comprehensive and long-term management and care.1 Numerous studies have shown that Medicaid patients have a higher rate of ED use than the commercially insured patients.1,3,4 Some studies have emphasized the importance of Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) in perhaps decreasing the use of the ED for frequent over-utilizers, however other studies have found contraindicatory results, stating that patient’s use of the ED are more often driven by their health care conditions and needs rather than the involvement of a PCP.4 With the Affordable Care Act, there has been an increase in emphasis of access to PCPs, but there continues to be many limitations for Medicaid patients.

Publication Date

5-2024

Keywords

Emergency department

Disciplines

Translational Medical Research

Comments

The Embark Capstone Colloquium at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Rochester Hills, MI, May, 2024.

Association Between Primary Care and Emergency Department Utilization

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