Emergency Department Care: When Needed—Not When Better Choices Are Unavailable

The increasing use of emergency departments (EDs) is a perplexing problem across the United States. Between 1997 and 2007, a national study¹ showed that ED visits increased almost twice as much as what would have been expected from the size of the population growth. When EDs are crowded, patients who have serious problems are at risk for delayed treatment. In addition, ED care is expensive, is unlikely to provide needed preventive care, and does not facilitate continuity in physician-patient relationships, a key component of quality care.