High-Deductible Health Plan Reduces ED Visits

Fewer repeat visits, especially those for low-severity conditions, accounted for most of the reduction in ED use.

Emergency department overcrowding is a major healthcare concern and might be associated with adverse outcomes. To examine the effect on ED use of switching from a traditional Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) to a high-deductible health plan (HDHP), researchers measured 1-year ED visit rates before and after 8724 individuals switched health plans and compared them with rates among 60,000 individuals who remained in the HMO (controls).

Transition to the HDHP was associated with a 10% relative decrease in the overall ED visit rate. The rate of first ED visits did not change between the two periods, but the rate of repeat visits decreased significantly in the HDHP group (from 335 to 255 per 1000 members) and increased in the control group (…

Reviewing Author

John A. Marx, MD, FAAEM, FACEP