For MedBen clients in 2025, 14% of emergency room visits were identified as potentially avoidable — often for conditions that could have been treated safely and effectively in a more appropriate setting. When care is delivered at an urgent care facility or physician’s office instead of the ER, the average savings is $1,998 per visit.
National trends reinforce the importance of this issue. Recent state-level data show that Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia rank in the top ten for ER visits. While not all visits are avoidable, higher utilization rates can signal opportunities to educate your members about appropriate care settings and costs.
MedBen Analytics’ Avoidable ER Visits Savings report highlights average costs for common ER diagnoses and compares them to treatment in urgent care and office settings. The comparison table below shows several frequently seen conditions and the potential savings when members choose a lower-cost, appropriate option.
| Reason for Visit | Avoidable ER | Urgent Care | Office |
| Acute Throat Infection | $1,782 | $180 | $131 |
| Headache | $3,381 | $173 | $129 |
| Back Pain | $2,392 | $155 | $133 |
| Strains/Sprains | $1,576 | $262 | $131 |
Clients would like help generating Avoidable ER Visits reports through MedBen Analytics (or any other reports), please contact your Account Management team. Additionally, MedBen offers a flyer outlining appropriate ER and urgent care use that you can share with employees… ask your team for a copy!