Table 2.
Visit characteristics among psychiatric visits in Emergency Department without and with telepsychiatry services, 2016
| Visit Characteristics | Total psychiatric ED visits (n=813,261) | Psychiatric visits in EDs without telepsychiatry services (n=712,236) | Psychiatric visits in EDs with telepsychiatry services (n=101,025) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | ||
| Age Group | ||||
| <1 year | 177 (0.02) | 129 (0.02) | 48 (0.05) | <0.001 |
| 1-17 years | 58,404 (7) | 49,786 (7) | 8,618 (9) | |
| 18-44 years | 452,988 (56) | 400,801 (56) | 52,187 (52) | |
| 45-64 years | 233,953 (29) | 204,150 (29) | 29,803 (30) | |
| 65+ years | 67,739 (8) | 57,370 (8) | 10,369 (10) | |
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 446,704 (55) | 391,264 (55) | 55,440 (55) | 0.73 |
| Female | 366,557 (45) | 320,972 (45) | 45,585 (45) | |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||||
| Non-Hispanic White | 406,466 (50) | 363,669 (51) | 42,797 (42) | <0.001 |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 189,969 (23) | 167,124 (23) | 22,845 (23) | |
| Hispanic | 107,724 (13) | 85,801 (12) | 21,923 (22) | |
| Asian, Pacific Islander or Native American | 17,937 (2) | 15,730 (2) | 2,207 (2) | |
| Other | 91,165 (11) | 79,912 (11) | 11,253 (11) | |
| Insurance Status | ||||
| Private | 171,741 (21) | 147,998 (21) | 23,743 (24) | <0.001 |
| Public | 508,367 (63) | 444,325 (62) | 64,042 (63) | |
| Self-pay | 99,854 (12) | 88,773 (12) | 11,081 (11) | |
| Other | 33,299 (4) | 31,140 (4) | 2,159 (2) | |
| Disposition of Patient | ||||
| Admission through ED/Transfer to short-term hospital | 99,477 (12) | 85,094 (12) | 14,383 (14) | <0.001 |
| Routine discharge | 672,380 (83) | 593,182 (83) | 79,198 (78) | |
| Transfer to another type of facility | 22,270 (3) | 17,241 (2) | 5,029 (5) | |
| Home health care | 715 (0.1) | 644 (0.1) | 71 (0.1) | |
| Left against medical advice | 17,671 (2) | 15,375 (2) | 2,296 (2) | |
| Died | 493 (0.1) | 445 (0.1) | 48 (0) | |
| Discharge alive, destination unknown, or Missing disposition | 255 (0.03) | 255 (0.04) | * | |
| Presence of Observation Stay | ||||
| Yes | 21,398 (3) | 19,066 (3) | 2,332 (2) | <0.001 |
| No | 791,863 (97) | 693,170 (97) | 98,693 (98) | |
| Location of Hospital (CBSA code) | ||||
| Urban | 799,122 (98) | 698,277 (98) | 100,845 (99.8%) | <0.001 |
| Rural | 14,139 (2) | 13,959 (2) | 180 (0) | |
| Annual total ED visits | ||||
| < 10,000 | 9,648 (1) | 9,468 (1) | 180 (0) | <0.001 |
| 10,000-19,999 | 39,349 (5) | 36,392 (5) | 2,957 (3) | |
| 20,000-39,999 | 132,989 (16) | 118,740 (17) | 14,249 (14) | |
| ≥40,000 | 631,275 (78) | 547,636 (77) | 83,639 (83) | |
| Teaching Hospital | 155,008 (19) | 129,646 (18) | 25,362 (25) | <0.001 |
| Critical Access Hospital | 16,077 (2) | 15,897 (2) | 180 (0) | <0.001 |
| Median household income based on patient's zipcode | ||||
| 1-42,999 | 270,703 (33) | 244,850 (34) | 25,853 (26) | <0.001 |
| 43,000-53,999 | 215,533 (27) | 204,635 (29) | 10,898 (11) | |
| 54,000-70,999 | 152,680 (19) | 133,591 (19) | 19,089 (19) | |
| ≥71,000 | 161,324 (20) | 117,867 (17) | 43,457 (43) | |
| Missing | 13,021 (2) | 11,293 (2) | 1,728 (2) | |
Visits in public insurance group are paid with Medicare or Medicaid. “Other” includes visits paid with other type of insurance type (i.e., Worker’s Compensation), without any charge, or missing insurance information
Abbreviations: ED emergency department, CBSA core-based statistical area
*Cell represents less than 10 patients