From AMedNews:
Urgent or more serious medical problems are what prompt most nonelderly Medicaid patients visiting the emergency department to go there, underscoring a need for better access for those patients to primary care and specialty services, according to a recent study.
In 2008, more than half of Medicaid and privately insured patients visiting the ED had conditions that were categorized as emergent that needed immediate attention, or urgent that needed attention within an hour. Only about 10% of nonelderly Medicaid patient ED visits were for nonurgent symptoms, compared with about 7% for privately insured nonelderly people, the Center for Studying Health System Change reported in its study, released July 11.
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