LAUSR

Key Points Question Are racial/ethnic minorities who use emergency medical services transported to the same emergency department as white residents living in the same zip code? Findings In this cohort study of 864 750 Medicare enrollees from 4175 zip codes, the proportion of white patients transported to the reference (or most frequent) emergency department destination was high (61.3%), compared with the proportion of black patients (difference of −5.3%) and Hispanic patients (difference of −2.5%). Meaning This study suggests that emergency department destination is substantially different on the basis of the race/ethnicity of patients living in the same zip code.