The prehospital and hospital costs of emergency care for frequent ED patients

The American Journal of Emergency Medicine
Robert G SolbergMichael D Williams

Abstract

Frequent emergency department (ED) use has been identified as a cause of ED overcrowding and increasing health care costs. Studies have examined the expense of frequent patients (FPs) to hospitals but have not added the cost Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to estimate the total cost of this pattern of care. Data on 2012 ED visits to a rural Level I Trauma Center and public safety net hospital were collected through a deidentified patient database. Transport data and 2012 Medicare Reimbursement Schedules were used to estimate the cost of EMS transport. Health information, outcomes, and costs were compared to find differences between the FP and non-FP group. This study identified 1242 FPs who visited the ED 5 or more times in 2012. Frequent patients comprised 3.25% of ED patients but accounted for 17% of ED visits and 13.7% of hospital costs. Frequent patients had higher rates of chronic disease, severity scores, and mortality. Frequent patients arrived more often via ambulance and accounted for 32% of total transports at an estimated cost of $2.5-$3.2 million. Hospital costs attributable to FPs were $29.1 million, bringing the total cost of emergency care to $31.6-$32.3 million, approximately $25,000 per patient. This study dem...Continue Reading

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Feb 1, 2018·Administration and Policy in Mental Health·Kathleen C ThomasSeth W Glickman
Aug 22, 2018·Prehospital Emergency Care : Official Journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors·John F BrownM Kennedy Hall
Jun 11, 2019·International Journal of Emergency Medicine·Amber MehmoodAdnan A Hyder
Apr 24, 2019·Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research·Min-Sun LeeEui-Kyung Lee
May 3, 2020·Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal·Darcia Green, Jennifer Ruel
Mar 17, 2020·Journal of Patient Safety·Antonio Montero GarcíaJosé Miguel Morales Asencio
Aug 1, 2021·Academic Emergency Medicine : Official Journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine·Cooper March, Gilbert Gonzales

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