WEDNESDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Americans made about 1.1
billion visits to physician offices and hospital outpatient and
emergency departments in 2006, which works out to an average of
four visits per person per year, according to statistics released
Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
Among the findings, from the CDC's National Center for Health
Statistics National Health Care Survey:
- The number of visits to physician offices and hospital
outpatient and emergency departments increased by 26 percent from
1996 to 2006. That's faster than the growth of the U.S.
population, which rose by 11 percent. Part of the increase is due
to the aging of the population.
- In 2006, medications were provided, prescribed or continued
in seven out of 10 visits, for a total of 2.6 billion
medications. Analgesics (pain relievers) were the most common.
They accounted for 13.6 percent of all drugs prescribed and were
most often used during primary care and emergency department
visits.
- The emergency department served as the route of admission to
hospital inpatient services for roughly 50 percent of
non-obstetric hospital patients in 2006, compared with 36 percent
in 1996.
- Medicaid patients use the emergency department more
frequently (82 per 100 people) than patients with private
insurance (21 per 100 people).
- Most emergency department visits occurred after business
hours, defined as 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Sixty-three
percent of adults and 73 percent of children younger than age 15
arrived after business hours. The overall average waiting time to
see a physician in the emergency department was almost 56
minutes.
- Between 1996 and 2006, there was a 43 percent increase in
visits to hospital outpatient departments made by adults 18 years
and over with chronic diabetes and a 51 percent increase in
visits for chronic high blood pressure.
More information
The American College of Emergency Physicians outlines when
people should go to the emergency department.
.gif)
