Oregon health plan cutbacks and access to care: A survey of emergency department patients

Reasons Why Patients Choose an Ambulance and Willingness to Consider Alternatives

“…Another potential reason for taking an ambulance is lack of access to a primary care provider. A preliminary report found that patients with a primary care provider were more likely to seek medical care before coming to the ED 18 and that access to primary care providers can decrease ED use. 19 Another recent study found that patients enrolled in a drug treatment program with onsite medical care are less likely to use an ED than are patients enrolled in a program without medical care.…”