New CHAS Issue Brief on Who is Using the Emergency Department and Why

"The Colorado Trust has released a new issue brief, An Examination of Emergency Department Use in Colorado, based on data from the 2011 Colorado Health Access Survey (CHAS). The brief provides a look at the frequency with which Coloradans visit the emergency department, who is using it most often and why it is being used. Hospital emergency departments are unique sources of medical care, operating 24 hours a day and offering a wide variety of services. The question of how and when emergency departments are used has numerous implications for policy issues such as expanding health insurance coverage, containing health care costs and improving the quality of care..." Click here to read the brief.  [Source: The Colorado Trust]