News briefs
ED care sites decrease as patient visits increase
Emergency department (ED) visits in the United States reached a record high of nearly 114 million in 2003, up from 90.3 million visits in 1993, while the number of EDs decreased by 12% during the same period, to 3,910, according to a report released recently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report attributed the rise in visits to increased use by adults, especially those 65 and older, and said Medicaid patients were four times more likely to seek treatment in an ED than those with private insurance. Approximately 58% of all hospital EDs were located in metropolitan statistical areas, but they represented 81.5% of annual ED encounters.
More Americans do Internet health search
The percentage of Americans searching the Internet for information about a particular hospital or physician increased to 28% in 2004, from 21% in 2003, according to a study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The increase was larger among Internet users with a college degree, to 42% from 27%; six or more years experience on-line, to 37% from 26%; and broadband access, to 41% from 31%. Internet searches for diet, fitness, exercise, and over-the-counter drugs also increased over the two-year period, as did searches related to health insurance. Overall, eight in 10 Internet users, or about 95 million Americans, have searched the Internet for information on at least one major health topic — about the same portion as in 2002.
Health care survey gets approval from NQF
A survey intended to allow an “apples-to-apples” comparison of patients’ perceptions of their hospital stay has been endorsed by the National Quality Forum (NQF), closing years of discussion and debate about the way questions are worded, how many items are included, and other specifications. Known as HCAPS (pronounced “H-caps”), the 27-question instrument was designed and developed over a three-year period by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The survey includes 22 questions addressing seven domains of hospital care: communication with physicians, communication with nurses, responsiveness of hospital staff, pain control, communication about medicines, cleanliness and quiet of the environment, and discharge information. It also includes five demographic questions used for patient-mix adjustment and discharge information. More information is available at www.qualityforum.org.
Emergency department visits in the United States reached a record high of nearly 114 million in 2003, up from 90.3 million visits in 1993, while the number of EDs decreased by 12% during the same period, to 3,910, according to a report released recently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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