By EMS1 Staff
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A study found that California emergency rooms have seen a sharp increase in visits, despite efforts to steer patients away.
Biz Journals reported that a study published by the California Healthcare Foundation found that ER visits increased by 44 percent from 2006 to 2016.
California Hospital Association spokesperson Jan Emerson-Shea said beneficiaries of California’s Medicare program, called Medi-Cal have risen from 8 million to 14 miliion, and the study found that the beneficiaries are increasing their ER visits.
“What we have seen over the last few years is a definite decrease in emergency room visits by uninsured and almost a 1-to-1 increase in patients that now have Medi-Cal,” Emerson-Shea said.
Emerson-Shea added that the increase in visits could be due to a lack of doctors accepting Medi-Cal.
“You still have crowded emergency rooms because you have millions of people coming to the emergency room because they can’t find a Medi-Cal doctor,” she said.
The study added that Sacramento is the third-highest area in the state for its number of ER visits, with 410 ER patients per 1,000 residents.