Emergency department visits and proximity to patients' residences, 2009-2010.

The number of emergency department (ED) visits rose 44% from 1991 through 2010, even as the number of hospital EDs declined 10% over the same period. As a result, EDs have increasingly experienced overcrowding and longer waiting times. However, little is known about which ED patients visit, how often patients go to the ED closest to their home, and how differences in geography, patient demographics, and hospital characteristics are associated with ED selection patterns. All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.