Lawmakers to CMS: Promote Urgent Care Centers to Address ER Crowding
HealthLeaders Media March 5, 2024
Urgent care centers can treat many conditions commonly treated in emergency rooms, including sprains, fractures, lacerations, and urinary infections.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
– According to CMS data, the median wait time for patients in emergency rooms has increased from 2 hours, 18 minutes in 2014 to 2 hours, 40 minutes in 2022.
– Trinity Health’s chief clinical officer says emergency room crowding has several negative consequences such as poor patient experience, slowed care processes, and strain on caregivers.
– With more than 14,000 urgent care centers nationwide, the facilities have the potential to ease emergency room crowding in every region of the country, says the chief medical officer of Premier Health.
More than two dozen members of the U.S. House of...