Characteristics of Emergency Department Patient Visits Referred for Follow-Up Medical Care After Discharge, National Hospital Ambulatory Medicare Care Survey—United States, 2018

Abstract

Objective To describe characteristics of a nationally representative sample of patient visits that ended with a referral for follow-up medical care after discharge from hospital emergency department (ED) visits. Methods We used 2018 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data to identify patient characteristics associated with higher rates of visits with referrals for follow-up medical care after ED discharge from nonfederal short-stay and general hospitals throughout the United States. Referral included categories of all disposition variables that indicated referral to a source of care consistent with the patient’s clinical condition at ED discharge. Results Approximately 97 million of 130 million visits (29 700/100 000 US resident population) were referred for follow-up medical care during 2018. Visit referral rates were higher among females (33 100) than among males (26 300/100 000 population); higher among Black patients (61 700) than among White patients (25 600/100 000 population); highest in the South (33 200/100 000 population); and similar rates in Nonmetropolitan (29 900/100 000 population) and Metropolitan Statistical Areas (30 200/100 000 population). Visit referral rates were higher for patients with Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) (66 900) than those with Medicare (31 500) or private insurance (14 000/100 000 population). Abnormal clinical findings and injuries were the discharge diagnoses most often referred for follow-up medical care. Conclusion Higher visit referral rates were observed among female sex, non-Hispanic Black race, Medicaid/CHIP, abnormal clinical findings, and injuries. Future studies might reveal reasons that prompted higher referral rates among various patients’ characteristics.