Nation gets C minus on ED report card
The nation got an overall grade of C minus in a recent report by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) assessing support for emergency care and prevention in each state.
The state and national grades are based on 50 measures, including availability of emergency care resources, training for emergency physicians and EMS personnel, patient access to ambulances and 911 services, injury prevention and safety programs, and medical liability reforms such as caps on non-economic damages and legal protections for physicians who provide emergency care.
No state scored an A or an F for its overall grade. California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the District of Columbia scored the highest, with B as their overall grade. Rating worst in the nation, with overall grades of D plus or D, were Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.
The emergency medicine systems in many states are under extreme stress as the number of people coming to emergency departments continues to increase, with nearly 114 million patient visits in 2003, the report points out. At the same time, the overall capacity of the nation's EDs has decreased, with hundreds of EDs closing in the past 10 years.
The nation got an overall grade of C minus in a recent report by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) assessing support for emergency care and prevention in each state.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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