CDC issues data brief on ED visits by seniors

Hospital emergency departments receive an annual average of 15.5 million visits for illness and 5.2 million visits for injury by adults aged 65 and older, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on the ED component of the 2012-2013 National Hospital Ambulatory Medicare Care Survey. Adults aged 65 and over comprised 15.9% of total ED visits, and their ED visits increased with age. Among seniors, ED visits for injury were more common among women than men and less likely to result in admission than visits for illness. However, seniors visiting the ED for injury were more likely to arrive by ambulance and to receive certain imaging tests than seniors visiting the ED for illness.