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QuickStats: Annual Percentage of Emergency Department Visits with Selected Imaging Tests Ordered or Provided — National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, United States, 2001–2010

The figure shows the annual percentage of emergency department visits with selected imaging tests ordered or provided in the United States, during 2001-2010. From 2001 to 2010, the percentage of emergency department visits with a CT or MRI test ordered or provided nearly tripled, from 6% to 17%, and the percentage of visits with an ultrasound ordered or provided doubled from 2% to 4%. The percentage of emergency department visits with a radiograph ordered or provided did not change significantly. Throughout the period, the percentage of visits with a radiograph was higher than the percentages with an CT/MRI or ultrasound combined and remained steady at about 35%.

Abbreviations: CT = computed tomography; MRI = magnetic resonance imaging.

* Separate estimates for MRIs and CTs are available only for the period 2005–2010. During that period, visits with only an MRI accounted for <4% of the combined CT/MRI category.

From 2001 to 2010, the percentage of emergency department visits with a CT or MRI test ordered or provided nearly tripled from 6% to 17%, and the percentage of visits with an ultrasound ordered or provided doubled from 2% to 4%. The percentage of emergency department visits with a radiograph ordered or provided did not change significantly. Throughout the period, the percentage of visits with a radiograph was higher than the percentage with a CT/MRI or ultrasound combined and remained steady at about 35%.

Source: CDC. National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/ahcd/ahcd_questionnaires.htm.

Reported by: Anjali Talwalkar, MD, atalwalkar@cdc.gov; Jill J. Ashman, PhD.

Alternate Text: The figure above shows the annual percentage of emergency department visits with selected imaging tests ordered or provided in the United States, during 2001-2010. From 2001 to 2010, the percentage of emergency department visits with a CT or MRI test ordered or provided nearly tripled, from 6% to 17%, and the percentage of visits with an ultrasound ordered or provided doubled from 2% to 4%. The percentage of emergency department visits with a radiograph ordered or provided did not change significantly. Throughout the period, the percentage of visits with a radiograph was higher than the percentages with an CT/MRI or ultrasound combined and remained steady at about 35%.



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