Emergency Department Use After Outpatient Surgery Among Dually Enrolled VA and Medicare Patients

Background: Emergency department (ED) use following outpatient surgery may be associated with a surgery-related patient safety problem. We characterized ED use within 7 days of general, urology, orthopedic, ear/nose/throat, and podiatry surgical procedures and assessed factors associated with these visits by specialty. Methods: We calculated the 2011-2013 postoperative ED visit rate for Veterans older than 65 years dually enrolled in the...