Free-standing emergency departments (EDs) in Texas’ largest cities have not alleviated emergency room congestion or improved patient wait times in nearby hospitals, according to a new paper by experts at Rice University. That finding contradicts arguments made by proponents of free-standing EDs, who have claimed the proliferation of stand-alone emergency rooms would speed care in overcrowded hospitals, said the authors.
Source: EurekaAlert, https://www.eurekalert.org