ED Utilization Rates Are the Same in Canada and the U.S.

One of the proposed causes of high utilization of emergency departments in the U.S. is the 46 million Americans without health insurance. Researchers compared ED utilization rates in Canada, where almost all patients are covered by national health insurance, and in the U.S. They analyzed a sample of more than 40,000 ED visits recorded in the 2003 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and all visits during 2003 recorded by the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System in Ontario, Canada.

ED utilization per 100 population was virtually identical: 39.9 visits in the U.S. and 39.7 visits in Ontario. The mean ED stay was 3.2 hours in the U.S. and 3.1 hours in Ontario. Admission rates were 13.9% and 10.5%, respectively.