Hospital-Based Emergency Departments: Background and Policy Considerations

Heisler, Elayne J. ; Tyler, Nancy Leigh

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.

关键词: Medicine;    Emergency medicine;    Emergency medical services;    Health policy;   

RP-ID  :  R43812
RP-ID  :  R43812_2014Dec08

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

This report describes Emergency departments (EDs), the role they play in the health care delivery system, and current federal involvement in supporting EDs. It then discusses the causes and consequences of three commonly identified and interrelated challenges that EDs face: (1) crowding, (2) providing repeat care to a subset of patients who are frequent users, and (3) providing care to a large population who have behavioral health conditions when an ED lacks the appropriate resources to provide such treatment. The report concludes with policy options that Congress may consider to potentially improve ED functioning and reduce payer costs.