The healthcare navigation crisis

Unnecessary ER visits cost approximately $32 billion annually nationwide, with patients often paying over $2,000 per visit for conditions that could be treated elsewhere¹
ER care costs 12 times more than physician office visits ($2,032 vs. $167) and 10 times more than urgent care ($2,032 vs. $193) for the same conditions²
Two-thirds of 27 million ER visits by privately insured patients annually are considered “avoidable” and not actual emergencies³
In Texas specifically, emergency department costs were found to be 10 times greater than costs at urgent care centers⁴

The average cost of an emergency room visit has increased to between $2,700 and $3,000 for uninsured patients⁵
Even insured patients typically pay $400–$650 out-of-pocket for ER visits after meeting their deductible⁶
Individuals without health insurance have more preventable visits to the ER than those with insurance, creating significant personal financial burden⁷
Low healthcare system literacy is estimated to cost at least $47 billion annually in unnecessary emergency visits⁸

71% of emergency department visits could have been treated safely in an urgent care clinic or primary care setting⁹
Those with chronic conditions were twice as likely to have received care in the emergency room compared to those more familiar with the healthcare system¹⁰
Lower-income individuals visit emergency rooms for preventable reasons roughly 2.5 times as often as those with higher incomes¹¹
Many patients simply don’t know where else to go when faced with an urgent (but not emergency) medical need¹²

Tap Telehealth reduces ER visits by 15–20% in the populations we serve, directly addressing the costly burden of unnecessary emergency care
Avoids unnecessary urgent care visits by up to 40%, providing appropriate care at a fraction of the cost
Each diverted emergency department visit generates cost savings of up to $1,546 per incident¹³
40% of patients with access to our services report they would not have been able to afford to see a doctor otherwise, highlighting our role in addressing healthcare inequity
Prevents the downstream costs of untreated medical conditions, which often lead to more serious health complications, hospital admissions, and higher long-term healthcare expenses

Sources:

UnitedHealth Group. (2019). “The high cost of avoidable hospital emergency department visits.”
UnitedHealth Group. (2019). “The high cost of avoidable hospital emergency department visits.”
U.S. News & World Report. (2019). “Avoidable ER visits fuel U.S. health care costs.”
American Action Forum. (2018). “Primer: Examining trends in emergency department utilization and costs.”
Mira Health. (2025). “Emergency room visit cost with and without insurance.”
Mira Health. (2025). “Emergency room visit cost with and without insurance.”
U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). “Most vulnerable more likely to depend on emergency rooms for preventable care.”
Becker’s Hospital Review. (2024). “Unnecessary ER visits cost $47B a year, report finds.”
Encounter Health. (2022). “The costs of unnecessary emergency department visits.”
Accenture. (2021). “Unnecessary emergency room visits caused by low health system literacy.”
U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). “Most vulnerable more likely to depend on emergency rooms for preventable care.”
Modern Healthcare. (2021). “Unnecessary emergency department visits cost $47B a year: report.”
American Medical Association. (2019). “How telemedicine helped this health system’s patients avoid the ED.”

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