Housing Instability Potentially Not Documented In Nearly Two-Thirds Of Emergency Department Visits By Homeless Individuals To A D.C. Hospital

Documentation of homelessness was potentially missed in nearly two-thirds of emergency department visits and almost 40% of admissions to a single hospital in the District of Columbia, according to a recent study.

The statistics pertain to September 2019 through February 2020 for a random sample of 10,000 homeless individuals whose information was in the District of Columbia’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). For the analysis, the researchers reviewed one hospital’s electronic health record (EHR) for emergency department visits and admissions. The HMIS provided identifiers, demographics, family status, and services used by the selected individuals. The researchers . . .