Study: Many Patients at California EDs Leave Without Being Seen

As many as 20% of patients at California's emergency departments leave without being seen, according to a new study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, HealthDay reports.

For the study, researchers analyzed information from a database run by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. The database contained information on 9.2 million ED visits that occurred at 262 nonfederal hospitals in California during 2007.

Key Findings

According to the study, the percentage of patients who left EDs without being seen ranged from 0% to 20%, depending on the facility. Researchers found that:

Non-teaching hospitals had an average patient departure rate of 2.5%, while teaching hospitals had an average rate of 5.1%;
Not-for-profit hospitals had an average patient departure rate of 2.5%, while county-owned hospitals had an average rate of 5%;
Non-trauma centers had an average patient departure rate of 2.5%, while trauma centers had an average rate of 3.9%;
EDs in low-income communities had higher patient departure rates than EDs in higher income areas; and
EDs in communities with lower rates of insurance coverage had higher patient departure rates than EDs in areas with higher insurance coverage rates (Mozes, HealthDay, 3/4).

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