Lanctin DP, Merced-Nieves F, Mallett RM, et al. - Researchers retrospectively analyzed Healthcare Cost and Utilization Nationwide Emergency Department Sample data in order to ascertain the prevalence and economic burden of diagnosed malnutrition among patients presenting to US emergency departments (EDs). They analyzed data from 238 million ED visits between 2006 and 2014 revealing an increase in the prevalence of diagnosed malnutrition for all demographic categories assessed. Higher diagnosis prevalence was observed in correlation with older age, high-income community residence, Western region, urban areas, and Medicare coverage. Observations revealed correlation of malnutrition diagnosis with 4.23 times greater odds of hospitalization and $21,892 greater mean total charges. Findings suggest that currently malnutrition is diagnosed at a low rate in US EDs, however, the associated economic burden is substantial in this care setting. Systematic malnutrition screening and treatment protocols may reduce this burden.