Unnecessary visits to emergency rooms 'cost billions'
About 17 percent of visits to U.S. emergency rooms involved conditions that could be treated at medical clinics or urgent care centers
Xinhua General News Service
LOS ANGELES — Unnecessary visits to emergency rooms (ER) cost 4.4 billion U.S. dollars in health care costs across the United States, a newly-released study shows.
About 17 percent of visits to U.S. emergency rooms involved conditions that could be treated at medical clinics or urgent care centers, according to the study released on Tuesday by the Rand Corporation, a non-profit think tank headquartered in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, the United States.
Among the conditions being treated at ERs that could be handled elsewhere are minor infections, strains, fractures and lacerations, said the study.
Overall, the report found that 27.1 percent of ER visits during 2006 could have been handled by a clinic or urgent care center, but only 16.8 percent occurred during hours that such alternatives are typically open.
While the study did not analyze whether such alternatives could handle the increased patient capacity from people who may have otherwise gone to an ER, it noted that clinics and care centers are generally staffed by practitioners who can treat a variety of conditions.
Urgent care centers also have facilities for X-rays and laboratory tests, giving them the ability to treat a broad range of ailments, according to the study.
"Patient traffic to hospital emergency departments has been growing, but a significant proportion of patients could be safely treated in these alternative settings," said Robin Weinick, a RAND senior social scientist. "Diverting these patients to alternatives such as retail clinics and urgent care centers could shorten their waiting times and save money."
"We've known for a long time that many people go to the emergency department with problems that could be addressed elsewhere, but this is the first time we have been able to quantify how many of those visits could be addressed at these alternative locations," said Dr. Ateev Mehrotra, a study co-author and assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
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