Emergency department admission rates vary widely among physicians, study finds

Medical Economics December 23, 2024
Austin Littrell

Key Takeaways

• Physician decision-making impacts ED admission rates, with high-admitting physicians not improving patient mortality outcomes.
• Study of 2.1 million VA ED visits found no correlation between admission rates and 30-day patient mortality.
• Variations in physician practice patterns, rather than patient health, drive differences in ED admission rates.
• Primary care could reduce unnecessary hospitalizations through improved care coordination and outpatient management.

Patients hospitalized by physicians with higher admission rates are likelier to be discharged within 24 hours but no less likely to die.

“Physicians, just like professionals in other domains, differ in their abilities and decisions, which has consequences for how much care you might receive, including, in this case, your likelihood of being hospitalized,” Dan Pham Ly,...

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