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To determine the rate of ambulatory follow-up after emergency department (ED) visits and whether there was an association with clinical outcomes, researchers retrospectively analyzed national Medicare data for continuously enrolled beneficiaries aged ≥65 who were discharged from an ED between 2011 and 2016.
The study involved a random sample of 20% of such beneficiaries — including nearly 9.5 million visits to 4728 EDs. The population was 61% female with a mean age of 77.3 years. After accounting for deaths and terminations of Medicare enrollment, the incidence of ambulatory follow-up was 40.5% at 7 days and 70.8% at 30 days. Medicaid eligibility, Black race, and treatment at a rural ED were each associated with decreased likelihood of follo…