Low-acuity ED visits (per 1,000)
Patient Experience & Access
How this indicator is defined
Methodology version v1.0
Rate, per 1,000 attributed patients, of low-acuity (CTAS 4–5) emergency-department visits during the reporting window.
Events per 1,000 patients
The count of Low-acuity ED visit events among attributed patients within the 1-year window, divided by the eligible population and multiplied by 1,000. Counts events, not unique patients (one patient can contribute more than one event).
Data inputs
- Low-acuity ED visit
Derived from
What this indicator measures— Name, alignment, goal, rationale.
- Indicator nameField 1 — Indicator name
- Low-acuity ED visits (per 1,000)
- AlignmentField 2 — Alignment
- CTAS (Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale) levels 4–5
- Illustrative synthetic-demo definition pending clinical review
- Strategic goalField 3 — Strategic goal
- Improve timely access to primary care so patients do not rely on the emergency department for low-acuity needs.
- RationaleField 5 — Rationale
- A high low-acuity ED rate is a recognized signal of access barriers in primary care (limited same-day availability, after-hours gaps). Lower rates reflect better access.
How it's computed— Scoring method, numerator, denominator, inclusions, exclusions.
- NumeratorField 6 — Numerator
- Count of CTAS 4–5 emergency-department visits by attributed patients within the reporting window.
- DenominatorField 7 — Denominator
All active attributed patients at reporting-period end (all ages).
- Sex eligibility:
- Age range: 0–120
- Active as of reporting-period end: yes
- ExclusionsField 9 — Exclusions
- Higher-acuity visits (CTAS 1–3).
- Patients deceased before the reporting-period end date.
How patients are attributed— Attribution rule and risk adjustment.
- Attribution ruleField 10 — Attribution rule
- Enrolment (rostered)
- Risk-adjustment modelField 11 — Risk-adjustment model
- None
How comparison works— Peer group, reliability threshold, peer comparator.
- Reliability thresholdField 13 — Reliability threshold
- 30
Data + reporting— Data source, reporting frequency, direction of improvement, limitations.
- Reporting frequencyField 15 — Reporting frequency
- quarterly
- Direction of improvementField 16 — Direction of improvement
- Lower is better
Targets + governance— Target, justification, owner, review, approval, version, notes.
- TargetField 18 — Target
- 25 per 1,000 — the clinic's target for this indicator, set by the product owner.
- Methodology versionField 23 — Methodology version
- v1.0