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The article examines the trends in the percentage of emergency department (ED) visits with Medicaid as the primary expected payment source among individuals under 65 years old in the United States from 2011 to 2021, highlighting that the proportion of such visits increased.

The article presents statistics regarding percentage of Emergency Department (ED) visits made by adults with influenza and pneumonia that resulted in hospital admission.

The article presents statistics regarding percentage of Emergency Department (ED) visits made by adults with influenza and pneumonia that resulted in hospital admission.

OBJECTIVE: We examined how predisposing, enabling and reinforcing factors influence mammography referrals by primary care physicians (PCPs). METHODS: Using the 2001-2003 National Ambulatory Medical Care and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys, we identified visits to office (n=8,756) and outpatient (n=17,067) PCPs by women≥40 without breast symptoms or breast cancer. We examined mammography referrals by predisposing (age, race, ethnicity, education, chronic problem), enabling (income, payer, visits within 12 months, time with physician), and reinforcing factors (physician age, gender, specialty/clinic, PCP status, region, MSA, solo/group practice). Gender, specialty, physician age, time with physician and solo/group were only in NAMCS. Clinic type was only in NHAMCS. We fitted logistic regression models adjusted for all factors and year. RESULTS: Office-based referrals were more likely during visits: for preventive or chronic care; with private payer vs self/uninsured; by women with no visit within 12 months vs≥3; lasting≥15 minutes; to female PCPs; to PCPs aged ≥45; to gynecologists. Outpatient referrals were more likely during visits: by Hispanics; for preventive or chronic care; by women with no visit within 12 months; to one's own PCP; to gynecologic clinics; in the Northeast or Midwest. CONCLUSIONS: Reinforcing factors, in addition to predisposing and enabling factors, are associated with mammography referral. Interventions to increase referrals should consider provider factors and aspects of the healthcare environment, and recognize differences between settings. Efforts to facilitate referrals during chronic care visits or outpatient visits to non-PCP providers may provide opportunities to increase screening. Efforts are needed to ensure that uninsured women are receiving appropriate referrals.

Objectives: This report presents statistics on ambulatory care visits to physician offices, hospital outpatient departments (OPDs), and hospital emergency departments (EDs) in the United States in 2006. Ambulatory medical care utilization is described in terms of patient, practice, facility, and visit characteristics., Methods: Data from the 2006 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) were combined to produce annual estimates of ambulatory medical care utilization., Results: Patients in the United States made an estimated 1.1 billion visits to physician offices and hospital OPDs and EDs, a rate of 381.9 visits per 100 persons annually. The overall visit rate was not significantly different for white and black persons. However, black persons had higher visit rates than white persons to hospital OPDs and EDs and lower visit rates to office-based surgical and medical specialists. Visit distribution by ambulatory care setting differed by poverty level in the patient's ZIP Code of residence, with higher proportions of visits to hospital OPDs and EDs as poverty levels increased. Between 1996 and 2006, visit rates to medical specialty offices climbed overall by 29 percent, with a significant increase noted for white patients but not black patients. The rate of OPD visits jumped from 25.4 visits per 100 persons in 1996 to 34.7 in 2006, whereas ED visits during the same period increased from 34.1 to 40.5 per 100 persons. About 18.3 percent of all ambulatory care visits in 2006 were for nonillness or noninjury conditions, such as routine checkups and pregnancy exams. Seven in ten ambulatory care visits had at least one medication provided, prescribed, or continued in 2006, for a total of 2.6 billion drugs overall. Analgesics were the most common therapeutic category, accounting for 13.6 drugs per 100 drugs prescribed, and they were most often utilized at primary care and ED visits. The percentage of visits at which medication was prescribed increased significantly in most settings between 1996 and 2006.

Objective: This report describes medication therapy at visits to physician offices, hospital outpatient departments, and emergency departments in the United States during 2003 and 2004. Office-based care is further subdivided into three categories-primary care, surgical specialties, and medical specialties., Methods: Data from the 2003 and 2004 National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys (NAMCS) and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys (NHAMCS) were combined to produce averaged annual estimates of ambulatory medical care utilization., Results: An estimated 1.9 billion drugs per year were provided, prescribed, or continued at ambulatory care visits in the United States during 2003 and 2004. Two-thirds of the 1.1 billion ambulatory care visits per year included medication therapy. The rate was highest at visits to medical specialists (2.3 drugs per visit). The rate of drugs per visit increased with patient age in each ambulatory care setting. Cardiovascular-renal was the class of drugs most frequently cited at visits to primary care physicians and medical specialists. Pain relievers were the drugs reported most often at hospital emergency and outpatient department visits. Of the 50 drugs most frequently reported overall, three-quarters of them were accounted for by six therapeutic classes-pain relievers, cardiovascular-renal agents, respiratory tract drugs, central nervous system drugs (antianxiety agents and antidepressants), hormonal agents, and antimicrobials. Ibuprofen, aspirin, atorvastatin calcium, acetaminophen, and albuterol were the five most frequently reported medications. From 1993 to 2004, the number of drugs provided, prescribed, or continued per visit increased for all settings.