News Releases

Northeast Ohio Emergency Department Volume on the Rise

Though Northeast Ohio hospital volume was down overall for the first quarter of 2013, January showed increases for several indicators, according to the latest Key Indicators Report. Emergency department volume rose significantly during this time, with cases up by 7.99 percent and admissions from the emergency department up by 7.53 percent. Though the uptick in emergency department volume in January can be largely attributed to the flu, a more general trend of increasing emergency department volume is nothing new in the region. The region’s hospitals have experienced overall growth in emergency department volume for over 12 years.

According to the report, this trend reflects the findings of a recent RAND study, which found that national growth in hospital admissions was due in large part to unscheduled admissions from the emergency department. The findings, and potential reasons behind them, are discussed in more detail in the full key indicators report available to members.

The Key Indicators Report is a publication by The Center for Health Affairs that is intended to provide hospital leaders with timely, useful information about what is happening in the Northeast Ohio hospital market. Data from this report come from The Center for Health Affairs Volume Statistics Report, which represents respondents from 30 member hospitals.

If you are interested in learning more about the growth in emergency department volume or would like to take a closer look at the source data used in the report, please check out the full Volume Statistics report available only to participating members on The Center's website or contact George Jeney at 216.255.3666 or george.jeney@chanet.org.