The Role of the Emergency Department

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Abstract
Emergency department care for patients whose problems are not true emergencies has become a fashionable scapegoat for the ills of the health care system in the United States. Such care is considered wasteful and expensive and is therefore a prime target for cost-cutting efforts by health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and other insurers.1,2 In 1992, there were 89.8 million visits to the emergency departments of nonfederal, short-stay hospitals in the United States, or 35.7 visits per 100 persons.3 The majority (55.4 percent) were classified as nonurgent. Patients with nonurgent conditions often face long waits at emergency departments; they contribute to . . .