ACEP Comment on CDC Data

ED Visits Jump to Record 115 Million

Visits to emergency departments increased to an all-time high of 115 million in 2005, 5 million more than in 2004, according to a [new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ACEP leaders said the increase in visits combined with closures of emergency departments threaten the safety of patients and will further endanger an already fragile system.

"With 315,000 people visiting emergency departments every day, the alarm bells are sounding and policymakers should heed the alert and respond," said ACEP President Brian Keaton, MD.

ACEP supports legislation, the Access to Emergency Medical Services Act (H.R. 882 and S.1003), that calls for the creation of a national bipartisan commission on access to emergency medical services that will examine factors that affect and may impede the delivery of care in U.S. emergency departments.