Idaho Ranks Second Nationally For Unnecessary ER Visits

According to recent findings, Idahoans are opting to head to the emergency room rather than be handled in an outpatient setting at a frequency that trumps 48 other states in the US.

Only people in Oregon visit their local ERs more with health matters that don't fall under emergency guidelines--meaning a life threatening condition warranting immediate attention by a physician--than those who seek treatment in the Gem State.

The data gathered at usnews.com, puts Idaho residents second in the country for making the decision to cut out the middle man (the family physician) and instead visit their area hospital for situations involving illness and trauma. Uninsured parties account for a great deal of these hospital visits.

Falls down steps or stairs is the number one cause of ER visits in the US, according to a 2016 Market Watch report. Now obviously, a fall can result in broken bones, or even worse depending on age, and is a valid reason to head straight to the hospital.

Flu-related illness has accounted for 6.5% of ER visits so far in America in 2018, which is a 30% increase, according to nydailynews.com. It is just in a lot of people's  nature I think to rush to the ER when flu-like symptoms begin--especially when it involves a child--instead of scheduling an appointment with our primary care physicians, and perhaps waiting 24-36 hours to be seen in an outpatient setting.

Annually, there are over 130 million ER visits in the US, according to CDC findings.