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At a Glance: Emergency Room Statistics
Healthcare professionals working in the emergency department are responsible for providing the first line of care in urgent medical matters. Emergency care professionals must deal with a variety of health problems ranging anywhere from trauma and major injuries to serious illnesses and other life-threatening conditions. Emergency care professionals must also care for a wide variety of patients, as medical emergencies can happen to anyone regardless of age, race, gender or insurance status.
The following emergency department statistics provide a snap shot of the trends that healthcare professionals working in emergency care are dealing with today. Interested in learning more about emergency care? Check out Health Ed Solutions’ (HES) emergency care career resources.
Emergency room statistics by the numbers
Research data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey showed that there were approximately 123.8 million emergency room visits in the United States in 2008 alone; this amounts to roughly 41.4 visits per 100 people. The survey found that 42.4 million of all emergency department visits were injury-related. Additionally, approximately 13 percent of all emergency department visits resulted in the patient being admitted to a hospital for extended medical care.
Emergency room statistics by state
According to research data from 2003, the average annual number of emergency room visits per 1,000 people in the United States was 397.9. The District of Columbia had the highest number of emergency room visits, with 645 visits per 1,000 people in one year. West Virginia was next in line, with 614 visits; followed by Louisiana, with 556 visits; Mississippi, with 554 visits; and Maine, with 542 visits. The state of California had the lowest overall rate, with only 261 emergency department visits per 1,000 people in one year.
Emergency room statistics by demographic
In a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), it was found that seniors (individuals ages 75 years and older), Black and African American people, people with lower socioeconomic status and individuals who received health insurance coverage through Medicaid were more likely to have had at least one visit to an emergency department in a 12-month period than people in all other age, race, income and insurance status groups.
Emergency department statistics by insurance status
CDC data also showed that an individual’s lack of insurance does not greatly affect the likelihood of emergency room visits. Among people under the age of 65, uninsured individuals were just as likely as those with insurance coverage to have had at least one emergency department visit in a 12-month period. Additionally, individuals with a usual source of medical care were no more likely to have had one or more visits in a 12-month period than individuals who did not have a usual source of medical care. However, individuals with Medicaid health insurance coverage were more likely to have had multiple visits to an emergency department in a 12-month period than those with private health insurance coverage and individuals without insurance.
Health Ed Solutions
HES provides an online solution for individuals seeking healthcare certification. HES’ selection of online courses includes advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) and pediatric advanced life support (PALS) certification and recertification, basic life support (BLS), CPR and AED training. For more information about emergency care, check out Health Ed Solutions’ (HES) emergency care programs.