Characteristics of Children Enrolled in Medicaid With High-Frequency Emergency Department Use

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Some children repeatedly use the emergency department (ED) at high levels. Among Medicaid-insured children with high-frequency ED use in 1 year, we sought to describe the characteristics of children who sustain high-frequency ED use over the following 2 years.

METHODS: Retrospective longitudinal cohort study of 470 449 Medicaid-insured children appearing in the MarketScan Medicaid database, aged 1–16 years, with ≥1 ED discharges in 2012. Children with high ED use in 2012 (≥4 ED discharges) were followed through 2014 to identify characteristics associated with sustained high ED use (≥8 ED discharges in 2013–2014 combined). A generalized linear model was used to identify patient characteristics associated with sustained high ED use.

RESULTS: A total of 39 945 children (8.5%) experienced high ED use in 2012, accounting for 25% of total ED visits in 2012. Sixteen percent of these children experienced sustained high ED use in the following 2 years. Adolescents (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.4 [95% confidence interval: 1.3–1.5]), disabled children (aOR: 1.3 [95% confidence interval: 1.1–1.5]), and children with 3 or more chronic conditions (aOR: 2.1, [95% confidence interval: 1.9–2.3]) experienced the highest likelihood for sustaining high ED use.

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