News Briefs: ED visits, wait time up 14% since 1997
July 1, 2002 less than 1 minute read
News Briefs: ED visits, wait time up 14% since 1997
Hospital emergency department (ED) visits increased 14% between 1997 and 2001, according to new statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Last year, there were 108 million visitors to EDs, compared to 95 million in 1997, the CDC report said. Wait time for nonurgent visits increased 33%, from 51 minutes in 1997 to 68 minutes in 2000.
The report points out that because the number of hospitals providing emergency care decreased from 4,005 to 3,934 between 1997 and 2000, the number of annual visits per ED has increased approximately 16% since 1997, from 24,000 to 27,000.
CDC attributes the increase in ED visits to overall population growth and an increasing number of seniors. Those ages 75 and older had the highest rate of ED visits — 65 visits per 100 persons — while the national average was 39 visits per 100 persons.
More information is available at www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/archives.htm.
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