REPORT: Hawai‘i has Lowest ER Visits in Nation

Image courtesy Cal Poly University.

A new report released by MedicareHealthPlans.com reveals that Hawai‘i has the lowest number of emergency room visits per capita in the nation.

The study shows that for every 1,000 persons in Hawai‘i, there are 1,548 emergency room visits over a five year period—less than half the recorded volume of Washington, D.C., which tallied the highest number of ER admissions in the nation. The lower percentage in the Aloha state could be a result of declining crime rates, according to MedicareHealthPlans.com.

After Hawai‘i, the states on the low end of the spectrum for ER visits included Oregon, Colorado, Minnesota, South Dakota, Washington, California, Utah, Arizona and Nevada.

Ranked at number one, Washington, D.C. had 3,729 ER visits per capita over a five year period. The high percentage may be a result of higher crime rates in the region, according to the study.

Following the District of Columbia, the states with the most recorded ER visits per capita over five years of data are North Dakota, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Maine, Mississippi and West Virginia.

The study used statistical data from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, examining ER visits nationwide between 2012 to 2016. The study results found that the frequency of hospital visits is correlated to geographic location. Often, the higher poverty and crime rates tend to cause a higher percentage of ER visits per capita in a given region.

Courtesy image.