AHRQ Stats: Trends in Emergency Department Visits

Emergency department (ED) visits increased 15 percent from 2006 to 2014. During that time, ED visits for injuries decreased by 13 percent while ED visits for mental health/substance abuse increased by 44 percent. (Source: AHRQ, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Statistical Brief #227: Trends in Emergency Department Visits, 2006-2014.)

Trends in Emergency Department Visits, 2006-2014

Brian J. Moore, Ph.D., Carol Stocks, Ph.D., R.N., and Pamela L. Owens, Ph.D.

Highlights

There were 137.8 million emergency department (ED) visits in 2014, with a rate of 432 per 1,000 population.

The number of ED visits increased 14.8 percent from 2006 to 2014. Comparing the 2 years, the U.S. population grew 6.9 percent.

The number of ED visits covered by Medicaid and Medicare increased between 2006 and 2014 (66.4 percent and 28.5 percent, respectively), whereas the number of ED visits covered by private insurance decreased (10.1 percent).

The rate of ED visits for medical conditions increased 11.7 percent from 2006 to 2014. Diagnoses involving abdominal pain were the most frequent medical diagnoses for ED visits in 2014 (6.0 million visits).

The rate of injury-related ED visits decreased 12.9 percent from 2006 to 2014. Among injury-related ED visits, sprains and strains were the most frequent first-listed diagnoses in 2014 (5.8 million visits).

The rate of mental health / substance abuse-related ED visits increased 44.1 percent from 2006 to 2014, with suicidal ideation growing the most (414.6 percent increase in number of visits). Among mental health/substance abuse-related ED visits, alcohol-related disorders were the most frequent diagnoses in 2014 (1.5 million visits).