Analysis of Consistency in Emergency Department Physician Variation in Propensity for Admission Across Patient Sociodemographic Groups

Key Points Question Are physician propensities to admit patients from the emergency department consistent across patient sociodemographic groups? Findings In this cross-sectional analysis of Medicare claims data from 2016 to 2019, the mean adjusted rates of hospital admission from the emergency department differed by patient sex, race and ethnicity, and Medicaid status. Individual physicians varied substantially within hospitals in the percentage of patients they admitted, and these differences in admission propensity were consistent across patient sociodemographic groups. Meaning The findings of this study suggest that physicians with higher or lower propensities to admit patients from the emergency department exhibit their relative propensity consistently across patient sociodemographic groups.