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The just-published 2012 edition of the Department of Health and Human Services annual report on the country's state of health includes a “Special Feature on Emergency Care.” The supplement highlights several trends, most already noted in the emergency medicine literature.
There were 130 million visits to emergency departments (EDs) in 2010, a 34% increase over 1995, while the number of EDs declined. Though about 20% of Americans visit an ED at least once per year, frequent users (1% of all users) make up 18% of visits. Not surprisingly, the elderly visit more frequently than others. Individuals with Medicaid visit more frequently than those with other or no insurance. Mean wait time to see a physician varies markedly, being longer in urban t…