Today’s issue of WorkCompRecap features the release of a new FlashRepot from WCRI that found substantial variation across states in the rates of emergency department (ED) use among workers seeking care for new injuries.
WCRI noted that such substantial variation, even for the same injury type, raises questions about its cause, whether from the design of workers’ compensation systems or other factors. For instance, in 2021, ED utilization for initial medical services ranged from 14% in Arizona to 37% in Massachusetts. The study examines how the use of EDs versus physician offices for initial medical services varies across states; factors explaining the observed interstate variation in the use of EDs for a given injury type; how COVID-19 impacted the use of EDs as the source of initial medical services; and to what extent EDs, as opposed to physician offices are used for various types of injuries.