Annals of emergency medicine
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In 2014, Maryland launched a population-based payment model that replaced fee-for-service payments with global budgets for all hospital-based services. This global budget revenue program gives hospitals strong incentives to tightly control patient volume and meet budget targets. We examine the effects of the global budget revenue model on rates of admission to the hospital from emergency departments (EDs). ⋯ Implementation of the global budget revenue model led to statistically significant although modest declines in ED admission rates within its first 2 years, with declines in ED admissions most pronounced among certain clinical conditions.