In this week’s graphic, we highlight the most recent data from software and analytics firm Strata Decision Technology to assess how hospital volumes have changed since 2022. Year-to-date 2024 hospital volumes have substantially increased across all admission types relative to 2022,with emergency department (ED) volumes rising the most at 13.7%. After facing considerable declines during the pandemic, monthly ED volumes have been at their highest levels since the pandemic began, with February 2024 seeing nearly 29% more ED visits than February 2022, which was a particularly slow month for EDs. Notably, the acuity of patients visiting the ED has also increased slightly since before the pandemic, countering the idea that non-emergent cases are driving the utilization increase. The current trend of ED volumes suggests that pandemic-induced changes to emergency department usage are not lasting, and that the ED remains a key channel for patients to access care.
