Health-Related Social Needs Associated With Emergency Department Use

Those who struggle most with transportation and housing stability were most likely to use the emergency department (ED), according to the results of a recently published study.

Researchers from Allina Health in Minnesota studied the associations between ED use and health-related social needs (HRSNs), which are issues such as housing stability, housing quality, food security, transportation, utilities, and interpersonal safety. The retrospective cohort study included 166,682 Medicare and Medicaid recipients in a single health system screened for HRSNs under the Accountable Health Communities (AHC) program from June 5, 2018, to January 31, 2022.

Researchers performed a statistical analysis . . .