Over half of the 35.4 million annual inpatient admissions in the United States begin in the emergency department (ED), yet more than 5 times as many ED visits are treated and released from the ED as are admitted to the same hospital. ED visits have outpaced population growth since at least 1993. These findings were a result of a recently released Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and were published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
Recent policies by public and private payers have increased incentives to reduce hospital admissions. The study showed hospital admissions decreased while observation and ED visits increased from 2009 to 2013 among patients who were uninsured or covered by Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance. Other findings from the study include an increase in ED visits for medication conditions and a decrease in ED visits related to injury. Mental health related ED visits increased 44.1% from 2006 to 2014.
Great Plains QIN has been partnering with communities throughout the region to help them understand contributing factors to their community’s acute care utilization, including hospital admissions, readmissions, observations stays, and ED visits. Recent data for our region has shown overall similar trends with increased ED visits and observation stays with some variation between communities. You can review full quarterly reports and progress reports for each state in the Great Plains QIN by clicking on the following:
Kansas Quarterly Care Coordination Report ~ Progress Report
Nebraska Quarterly Care Coordination Report ~ Progress Report
North Dakota Quarterly Care Coordination Report ~ Progress Report
South Dakota Quarterly Care Coordination Report ~ Progress Report
If you would like more information about care coordination and how you can become involved in your community, click here to join our Learning and Action Network, or feel free to contact the Great Plains QIN Care Coordination Team Lead in your state.