Table 1 Characteristics of US emergency department visits seen by mid-level providers without physician involvement, compared to those seen by physicians only; 1993–2009
From: Continued rise in the use of mid-level providers in US emergency departments, 1993–2009
MLP only | Physician only | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
No. of visits | % (95%CI) | No. of visits | % (95%CI) | |
N = 17,316 | N = 453,348 | |||
Patient characteristics | ||||
Age, years; median (IQR) | 17,316 | 29 (16–44) | 453,348 | 33 (17–52) |
Female sex | 9,136 | 53% (52–55) | 240,899 | 53% (53–54) |
Race | ||||
White | 13,180 | 76% (72–80) | 330,486 | 75% (74–77) |
Black | 3,612 | 22% (18–25) | 104,590 | 22% (20–23) |
Other | 524 | 2.6% (2.1–3.1) | 18,272 | 3.1% (2.7–3.5) |
Ethnicity | ||||
Non-Hispanic | 12,348 | 72% (67–77) | 320,698 | 71% (69–72) |
Hispanic | 1,958 | 10% (8.3–12) | 52,416 | 10% (9.1–11) |
Missing | 3,010 | 18% (14–22) | 80,234 | 19% (18–21) |
Insurance | ||||
Private | 5,980 | 36% (34–38) | 153,281 | 35% (34–36) |
Public | 5,731 | 33% (31–35) | 168,147 | 36% (35–37) |
Self-pay | 3,225 | 18% (17–20) | 69,486 | 16% (15–16) |
Other/unknown | 2,380 | 13% (11–15) | 62,434 | 13% (13–14) |
Visit characteristics | ||||
Arrival time* | ||||
8 a.m. – 3:59 p.m. | 8,029 | 48% (46–50) | 168,175 | 42% (41–42) |
4 p.m. – 11:59 p.m. | 7,189 | 44% (43–46) | 168,011 | 42% (42–43) |
12 a.m. – 7:59 a.m. | 1,137 | 7.2% (6.3–8.2) | 61,502 | 15% (15–16) |
Arrival by ambulance+ | 854 | 6.1% (5.1–7.1) | 47,960 | 16% (15–17) |
Urgency | ||||
Urgent/Emergent | 5,416 | 34% (30–38) | 228,218 | 60% (58–61) |
Nonurgent | 9,579 | 66% (62–70) | 153,078 | 40% (39–42) |
Any imaging or X-ray | 5,525 | 33% (31–35) | 190,794 | 43% (42–43) |
Any medication ordered | 13,387 | 78% (76–79) | 345,734 | 77% (76–77) |
ED length of stay, hours; median (IQR)# | 12,647 | 1.9 (1.2–3.0) | 256,427 | 2.4 (1.4–4.0) |
Disposition | ||||
Admitted | 545 | 3.1% (2.1–4.2) | 65,627 | 14% (13–14) |
Discharged/referred | 16,638 | 96% (95–97) | 384,245 | 85% (85–86) |
Hospital characteristics | ||||
US region | ||||
Northeast | 5,426 | 25% (16–34) | 112,217 | 19% (17–22) |
Midwest | 3,524 | 20% (13–27) | 101,524 | 25% (22–28) |
South | 5,050 | 36% (28–44) | 153,170 | 38% (34–42) |
West | 3,316 | 19% (13–25) | 86,437 | 18% (15–21) |
Urban status | ||||
Urban | 13,934 | 78% (68–87) | 387,950 | 80% (75–85) |
Nonurban | 3,382 | 22% (13–32) | 65,398 | 20% (15–25) |
Hospital ownership | ||||
Non-profit | 13,427 | 80% (74–87) | 318,983 | 71% (68–74) |
Government (non-federal) | 2,869 | 13% (6.9–20) | 77,604 | 15% (13–17) |
Private/for profit | 1,020 | 6.6% (4.0–9.1) | 56,761 | 14% (12–16) |
n = 17,316 | n = 453,348 | |||