Dive Brief:
- When Oregon's Medicaid coverage significantly increased, ED use went up with it, according to a new study published in Science.
- Expanding Medicaid coverage in Oregon increased ED use by 0.41 visits per person, or 41%, over an 18-month period, researchers said.
- This increase in ED use took place even though those new Medicaid beneficiaries also showed an increase in self-reported primary care use, including prescriptions, preventative care and patient visits, the study reports.
Dive Insight:
Researching the causes of excess ED use is a good idea, but I think makes sense to look at it in a larger context. As other studies have noted, people aren't hitting the ED because they can, they're doing it because they're afraid that they have a serious condition. Some new form of triage in the ED, particular linked with an on-site urgent care center, could suck some of the cost out of some of these possibly needless ED visits. What won't work, it seems clear, is scolding these patients out of their current behavior.