Distinctive emergency department usage for injury for workers' compensation cases in Utah in 1996

To compare emergency department services paid to workers' compensation (WC) with services paid by other payers, a state database of 72,747 emergency d epartment visits for injured adults (ages 21 to 54) in 1996 in Utah was ana lyzed. WC visits accounted for 21.6% (15,704) of all adult injury visits. T he mean emergency department change for WC visits was $282, and the admissi on rate was 17 per 1000 visits. The mean charge for other payers was $334, a nd the admission rate was 43 per 1000 visits, Differences were also found between these groups for Injury Severity Scores and diagnoses, In summary, WC emergency department usage was associated with less severe injuries tha n was emergency department usage for other payers in Utah in 1996.