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![]() New Report Studies Emergency Departments Serving High Volumes of "Safety-Net" Patients For Immediate Release: May 21, 2004 Contact: NCHS/CDC Public
Affairs Characteristics of
Emergency Departments Serving High Volumes of Safety-net Patients: United
States, 2000. Series Report 13, Number 155.
23 pp. (PHS)
2004-1726 An analysis of 2000 data shows that approximately one-third of all U.S. hospital emergency departments serve a disproportionately high number of Medicaid and uninsured patients. These hospitals serve as a safety net in communities whose residents are more likely to be low income, uninsured, or Medicaid recipients, and where there are fewer primary care services available. The findings, published in a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics, describe the characteristics of “high safety-net” emergency departments. The study examined hospital, community, and patient factors associated with serving safety-net populations as well as the receipt of public funding. Some 36 percent of the Nation’s emergency departments are considered high safety-net, defined as those where at least 30 percent of the patients are Medicaid eligible; 30 percent are uninsured; or a total of 40 percent of the patients fall into either category. The majority of the high safety-net emergency departments were in this category, with moderate levels of both uninsured and Medicaid recipients. The study found that:
“Characteristics of emergency departments serving high volumes of safety-net patients: United States, 2000” can be viewed at the NCHS Web site. The Web site also contains additional information about the survey based on records from a representative sample of the nation’s emergency departments. ### The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protects people's health and safety by preventing and controlling diseases and injuries; enhances health decisions by providing credible information on critical health issues; and promotes healthy living through strong partnerships with local, national and international organizations.
This page last reviewed
October 06, 2006
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