5 Key Takeaways

• 1

  Hospital admissions after emergency visits for dementia patients do not improve mortality rates.

• 2

  The study analyzed 872,085 emergency department visits among Medicare beneficiaries aged 66 and older with dementia.

• 3

  Hospital admissions increased health care spending by approximately $2,500 within 30 days and $4,000 within 90 days.

• 4

  There was substantial variation in hospital admission practices among emergency physicians treating dementia patients.

• 5

  The findings suggest that many hospital admissions for dementia patients may offer little value and warrant further research.