KNOXVILLE, Tenn., June 30 By analyzing patient data from a diverse mix of emergency departments of hospitals in 30 states, TeamHealth identified a significant increase in the number of accidents where there was the presence of alcohol during the July 4, 2009, holiday weekend.
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A review of data from almost 700,000 emergency department patient visits in 2009 indicated a 45 percent increase in people presenting due to an accident associated with intoxication during the July 4 weekend when compared to the three weekends prior to and the three weeks following the holiday.
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"While most emergency physicians and nurses would agree with this premise anecdotally, it's valuable to see supporting evidence and also somewhat surprising to see such a dramatic increase," said Gar LaSalle, MD, FACEP, Chief Medical Officer, TeamHealth. "We believe these results are likely reflective of emergency departments across the country and may even be a conservative estimate given that intoxication is not always recorded along with the primary reason for the patient needing emergency attention. This data provides a simple but important safety reminder for those who are planning to celebrate during this upcoming July 4 weekend."
About TeamHealth
TeamHealth (Knoxville, Tenn.) (NYSE: TMH) was founded in 1979 and has become one of the largest suppliers of outsourced healthcare professional staffing and administrative services to hospitals and other healthcare providers in the United States. Through its seven principal service lines located in 13 regional sites, TeamHealth's approximately 5,600 affiliated healthcare professionals provide emergency medicine, hospital medicine, anesthesia, teleradiology, and pediatric staffing and management services to approximately 520 civilian and military hospitals, clinics, and physician groups in 48 states. For more information about TeamHealth, visit www.teamhealth.com.
SOURCE Team Health Holdings, Inc.
