News: Midwest, rural areas most likely to lack 24/7 physician coverage in ED, report suggests

In 2022, approximately 1 in 13 emergency departments (ED) in the United States lacked an attending physician, according to a new study conducted by the National Institute for Health (NIH).

The study sought to “identify the percentage of US EDs without 24/7 attending physician coverage and to investigate the location and characteristics of these EDs.”

According to the report, the NIH identified 344 U.S. EDs, which “reported the absence of 24/7 attending physician coverage.” Moreover, the states with the highest percentages were North Dakota (58%), South Dakota (56%), and Montana (46%).

“Compared with EDs with 24/7 attending physicians,” the authors of the study observed, “EDs without 24/7 physicians were more likely to have annual visit volumes <10,000, to be in the Midwest and rural areas, to be a [critical access hospital], and to receive telehealth services.”

Of the 344 EDs identified, 89% were in a critical access hospital and 72% were located in a rural area.

Editor’s note: To read the NIH report, click here.