Publication Date
This report to Congress analyzed 10 years of data to look at trends in emergency department utilization at the national and state levels. The report analyzes three categories of utilization:
- ED visits resulting in admission to the hospital,
- ED visits ending in release (treat-and-release), and
- ED visits associated with mental health or substance use disorder (SUD) diagnoses
This report presents information on the patient, hospital, and payer characteristics for each of these three categories, as well as the most common diagnoses in each. The report also reviews some of the major issues related to potential overuse of the ED, as well as efforts to address overuse within HHS and more broadly.