Emergency Room Visits

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 20 percent of the population visits an emergency room (ER) every year, but many visits do not require the level of care ERs are designed to deliver. Emergency medical care is the quick evaluation and treatment of traumatic injuries and serious medical problems such as heart attack or stroke, which cannot be done on an elective basis. Delay in care for patients with medical emergencies leads to adverse outcomes, including death. Emergency medical care is typically delivered in a hospital-based ER that is open 24 hours a day every day. ERs are an essential part of a community’s public safety and emergency response system during natural disasters and terrorist attacks, but ERs have also become ...