A large percentage of nursing home residents’ emergency department (ED) visits are avoidable, according to a recently released report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Using data collected for the 2004 National Nursing Home Survey, the CDC found that roughly 8% of nursing home patients—roughly 123,600—had an emergency department visit in the past 90 days. Of those, the CDC estimates that 40%–about 50,300 visits—were potentially preventable.
To download a copy of the report, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db33.pdf.