When the Affordable Care Act was created conventional wisdom suggested that one of the by-products reducing the ranks of the uninsured would be a simultaneous drop in Emergency Room volume.

The newly insured – it was presumed – would begin to seek treatment with their PCP versus utilizing the nearest ER as their de-facto PCP.

Fewer patients would unclog the log-jam so many experience at ERs across the country, and get the hospital ‘front door’ back on track in terms of efficiency and effectiveness.

A couple of years later and there’s no denying that the ACA has delivered on its promise to move a meaningful percentage of uninsured individuals onto the various exchange plans. But some new government data suggests that the presumed drop in ER traffic has yet to materialize.

According to the study, ER volume is dictated by a number of factors, including:

• Seriousness of Condition
• Limited Access to other Points of Care
• After-hours Treatment

What’s interesting in assessing these factors is that (1) they aren’t dependent on an individual’s insurance status (a serious injury is a serious injury), and (2) they can vary widely from market to market or region to region.

And therein lies the big picture behind this study – analytics are vital for understanding the nuances of your local market and for efficiently managing staff, resources and expenses in the ER. The better you understand the different factors within your market impacting patient flow – everything from local doctors’ office hours to proximity to other hospitals and urgent care centers and population demographics – the more prepared you’ll be to optimize ER services.

What are some of the market-related metrics you're using to your advantage to create more efficiency in the ER? Use the comment field and join the conversation.