title: Emergency medicine versus primary care: a case study of three prevalent, costly, and non-emergent diagnoses at a community teaching hospital.
abstract: The high cost of emergency department (ED) care is often viewed as an area for achieving cost savings through reduced utilization for inappropriate conditions. The implementation of outpatient prospective payment for Medicare ED patients heightens scrutiny of costs and utilization in the ED versus primary care settings. Data from hospital clinical records, financial records, and a provider survey was used to develop a costing methodology and complete a comparative analysis of the cost of care for three diagnoses by setting. Total costs were significantly higher in the ED due primarily to differences in ancillary tests and prescription drugs ordered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health at East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, USA.
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D000066:Accounting; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003361:Cost Allocation; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics*; D017050:Episode of Care; D005194:Family Practice / Q000191:economics*; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics*; D010612:Pharyngitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics*