2006 State Report > Our Health > Emergency Room Visits
Our Health: Emergency Room Visits
People aged 65 and older use the emergency room at a higher rate than any other age group. According to the Annals of Emergency Medicine, they also have longer stays in the ER, are more likely to be admitted or have repeat ER visits, and tend to experience higher rates of adverse health outcomes after discharge. In South Carolina in 2003, there were 241,493 emergency room visits made by people ages 65 and older. The rate of ER visits per 100,000 population aged 65 and older was 47,536.
In South Carolina, age also correlates with average charge for emergency room visits and inpatient discharges resulting from emergency visits. For the 45 to 64 age group, the average charge for emergency room visits and resulting inpatient discharges was $3,202 in 2003. For the 65 to 74 age group, the average charge was $5,946; for the 75 and older age group, the average charge was $7,274 — more than double the average charge for 45 to 64 year olds.
The payer for these emergency room charges also correlates with the age group. Among the younger group (45 to 64 year olds), payers tend to be either commercial insurance or HMOs, paying 44 percent of the total $1.04 billion in charges accrued by this age group. Among older age groups, this shifts overwhelmingly to Medicare, with the federally-funded health insurance paying 94 percent of the total $620 million in charges for the 65 to 74 age group, and 98 percent of the total $977.5 million in charges for the 75 and older group. Among 45 to 64 year olds, Medicare only paid 29 percent of total charges.
Payer for Emergency Room Visits by Age of Patient: 2003
Source: South Carolina Budget and Control Board, Office of Research and Statistics. Emergency Room Hospital Discharge Online Query System.