Hospital Admission Through the Emergency Department

doi:10.1001/jama.1991.03470160106043

Editorial

JAMA. 1991;266(16):2274. doi: 10.1001/jama.1991.03470160106043

Hospital Admission Through the Emergency Department

The Obstructed Pathway

Carin M. Olson, MD

From the Scientific Publications Group, American Medical Association, Chicago, Ill.

Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.

Excerpt

In this issue of The Journal, Stern et al¹ compare hospital charges and lengths of stay for patients admitted through the emergency department with charges and lengths of stay for patients admitted through other routes to any of five Massachusetts hospitals. Even with adjustments for diagnosis related group, severity of illness, age, and income, patients admitted through the emergency department incurred hospital charges 13% higher and hospital stays 27% longer than other patients.