Emergency Departments (EDs) serve as important community resources and are an important source of patients and revenue for hospitals. EDs across our state and the country are under strain because of increased utilization, as they are increasingly used for care that should occur in a primary care setting. Inappropriate use of the ED is often linked to those who use them repeatedly. Frequent, repeated use of the ED by individual patients can have a negative effect on their quality of care.

Download: “A Report on Frequent Users of Emergency Departments in South Carolina.”

SCPHI response to the American College of Emergency Physicians March 15, 2011 press release.

Anderson Independent Mail article – “Fewer beds as S.C. psychiatric hospitals mean more mentally ill patients end up in emergency rooms (April 3, 2011).”

GreenvilleOnline: “Emergency rooms’ crowding problems extend beyond the uninsured.” (must be a subscriber to read)