More Medicaid Patients Going to the ER, Study Finds

According to an article published by USA Today, increasing numbers of Americans (especially those who are on Medicaid) are using emergency rooms for their health care.

The article titled: "More Medicaid patients going to ER, study finds" used data from 1997 to 2007 to analyze Emergency Room visits.

• ERs are increasingly serving as "safety nets" (by law they must treat all patients regardless of insurance or their ability to pay)
• A "safety net" facility is described as the following:
• More than 30% of all visitors were on Medicaid
• More than 30% of visits were by people without health insurance
• More than 40% of visits were by Medicaid and uninsured patients
• Conditions could have been managed in a primary care clinic
• Treatment time increased from 22 to 33 minutes during the study since the volume was higher

To view the full article, please go to the following link: More Medicaid patients going to ER, study finds (USA Today)

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