Emergency department utilization patterns for Medicare beneficiaries with serious mental disorders

Objective: This study examined emergency department use among Medicare beneficiaries with serious mental disorders. Methods: Drawn from the 2004 national 5% sample of Medicare beneficiaries, the sample in this study (N= 129,805) included fee-for-service enrollees with primary diagnoses of schizophrenia, major depression, other major affective disorders, or other psychoses. Emergency department use was compared by psychiatric diagnostic category and presence of a claim related to substance use disorder. Results: Having any emergency department visit was common for beneficiaries aged ≥65 years (58.3%) and beneficiaries