Study: Physicians increasingly rely on ERs to determine whether patients need to be hospitalized

The New York Times: E.R.'s Account For Half Of Hospital Admissions, Study Says
Emergency rooms account for about half of the nation's hospital admissions and accounted for virtually all of the rise in admissions between 2003 and 2009, according to a study released on Monday. Although emergency rooms are widely considered expensive places for diagnostic care, physicians are increasingly relying on them to determine whether a patient needs to be hospitalized (Abelson, 5/20).