Lane BH, et al. - Researchers sought to assess the recent aggregate trends in the emergency department (ED) visit rates and charges between 2010 and 2016 using data from the National Emergency Department Sample, comprising approximately 30 million annual patient visits. Observations revealed an increase in the number of ED visits from 128.97 million to 144.82 million between 2010–2016; the cumulative growth was 12.29% and the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) was 1.95%, while the population grew at a CAGR of 0.73%. Observations thereby suggest a significant increase in the rate of ED visits per 1,000 persons between 2010 and 2016. Further, there was a significant increase in the mean charge per ED visit during this period; from $2061 (standard deviation $2962) in 2010 to $3516 (standard deviation $2962) in 2016. Increase in mean charge was observed for both high- and low-acuity clinical categories. They suggest focussing on visits for the 5 most common clinical categories that comprise about 30% of ED visits in order to increase the value of ED care.