Fewer Emergency Rooms Available as Need Rises

The New York Times published an article on the growing number of Emergency Departments closing.  The article was based off of a study published in the Journal of American Medical Association focusing on hospitals in the New York City area whom closed their Emergency Departments. The purpose of the study was to see why hospitals were closing their Emergency Department.

Some statistics on Emergency Room closing rates:

• Urban and Suburban area closing was at a rate of 25%
• Nationally there has been a decrease by 35% of Emergency Rooms

Some of the reasons why hospitals closed were:

• They served large numbers of the poor
• Were at commercially operated hospitals
• Were at hospitals with "skimpy profit margins"
• They operated in highly competitive markets

Even if an Emergency Room in your area isn't closing, it could have an impact on your Emergency Room since the people will have to find another ER to go to.  This could lead to longer wait times and the quality of care could decrease.

To view the full article, please click here: Few Emergency Rooms Available as Need Rises

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