The effect of North Carolina free clinics on hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions among the uninsured.
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SUBMITTER: Hutchison J
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5897934 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:ObjectiveTo investigate the impact of implementation of the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (SMMC) program in Florida on access to and quality of primary care for Medicaid enrollees, measured by hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs).Data sourcesWe examine inpatient data obtained from the Agency for Health Care Administration for 285 hospitals in Florida from January 2010 to June 2015. The analysis includes 3,645,515 discharges for Florida residents between the ages 18 and 64 with a primary payer of Medicaid or private insurance.Study designWe use a difference-in-differences approach, comparing the change in the incidence of ACSC-related inpatient visits among Medicaid patients before and after the implementation of SMMC, relative to the change among the privately insured.Principal findingsAfter implementation of SMMC, Medicaid patients experienced a 0.35 percentage point slower growth in overall ACSC-related inpatient visits, and a 0.21 percentage point slower growth in chronic ACSC-related inpatient visits. The effects were significant in counties with above median Medicaid managed care penetration rates.ConclusionsImplementing mandatory managed care in Medicaid in Florida leads to slower growth in inpatient visits for conditions that can potentially be prevented with improved access to outpatient care.
| S-EPMC5785303 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The high financial burden of avoidable hospitalizations has led to an increase of the study of hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC). There is limited information on the impact of secondary diagnoses on these hospitalizations, although patients' social and demographic characteristics, as well as the coexistence of multiple diseases are often identified in the literature as risk factors for avoidable hospitalizations. This study explores the impact of chronic conditions on the likelihood of hospitalizations for ACSC.Data were extracted from the Portuguese hospital discharge database. Avoidable hospitalizations were identified according to the Canadian Institute for Healthcare Information, and chronic conditions were identified according to criteria set by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. A retrospective study analysing all patients hospitalized for an ACSC and all patients hospitalized for non-ACSC was made, using multiple logistic regression models to identify the impact of chronic conditions on the risk of admission.The risk of an avoidable hospitalization increases by a factor of 1.35 (95 % CI [1.34;1.35]) for each additional chronic condition, and 1.55 (95 % CI [1.55;1.56]) for each additional body system affected. The respiratory and circulatory systems have the most impact on the risk of ACSC, increasing the risk by 8.72 (95 % CI [8.58;8.86]) and 3.01 (95 % CI [2.95;3.06]), respectively.The number of chronic conditions and the body systems affected increase the risk of hospital admissions for ACSC.
| S-EPMC4973077 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVES:Reducing nursing home hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC) has been identified as an opportunity to improve patient well-being and reduce costs. The aim of this study was to identify number of hospitalizations for ACSCs for nursing home residents in a Swiss national sample, examine demographic characteristics of nursing home hospitalizations due to ACSCs, and calculate hospital expenses from these hospitalizations. METHODS:Using merged hospital administrative data with payment data based on diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) for the year 2013, we descriptively examined nursing home residents who were 65 years of age or older and were admitted to an acute care hospital. RESULTS:Approximately 42% of all nursing home admissions were due to ACSCs. Payments to Swiss hospitals for ACSCs can be estimated at between 89 and 105 million Swiss francs in 2013. CONCLUSIONS:A sizable share of hospitalizations for nursing home residents is for ACSCs, and the associated costs are substantial. Programs and policies designed to reduce these potentially avoidable hospitalizations from the nursing home setting could lead to an increased patient well-being and lower costs.
| S-EPMC6867979 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceThe association of the COVID-19 pandemic with the quality of ambulatory care is unknown. Hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs) are a well-studied measure of the quality of ambulatory care; however, they may also be associated with other patient-level and system-level factors.ObjectiveTo describe trends in hospital admissions for ACSCs in the prepandemic period (March 2019 to February 2020) compared with the pandemic period (March 2020 to February 2021).Design, setting, and participantsThis cross-sectional study of adults enrolled in a commercial health maintenance organization in Michigan included 1 240 409 unique adults (13 011 176 person-months) in the prepandemic period and 1 206 361 unique adults (12 759 675 person-months) in the pandemic period.ExposureCOVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 to February 2021).Main outcomes and measuresAdjusted relative risk (aRR) of ACSC hospitalizations and intensive care unit stays for ACSC hospitalizations and adjusted incidence rate ratio of the length of stay of ACSC hospitalizations in the prepandemic (March 2019 to February 2020) vs pandemic (March 2020 to February 2021) periods, adjusted for patient age, sex, calendar month of admission, and county of residence.ResultsThe study population included 1 240 409 unique adults (13 011 176 person-months) in the prepandemic period and 1 206 361 unique adults (12 759 675 person-months) in the pandemic period, in which 51.3% of person-months (n = 6 547 231) were for female patients, with a relatively even age distribution between the ages of 24 and 64 years. The relative risk of having any ACSC hospitalization in the pandemic period compared with the prepandemic period was 0.72 (95% CI, 0.69-0.76; P < .001). This decrease in risk was slightly larger in magnitude than the overall reduction in non-ACSC, non-COVID-19 hospitalization rates (aRR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.81-0.83; P < .001). Large reductions were found in the relative risk of respiratory-related ACSC hospitalizations (aRR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.50-0.58; P < .001), with non-statistically significant reductions in diabetes-related ACSCs (aRR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.83-1.00; P = .05) and a statistically significant reduction in all other ACSC hospitalizations (aRR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.74-0.85; P < .001). Among ACSC hospitalizations, no change was found in the percentage that included an intensive care unit stay (aRR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.94-1.04; P = .64), and no change was found in the length of stay (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.98-1.06; P = .33).Conclusions and relevanceIn this cross-sectional study of adults enrolled in a large commercial health maintenance organization plan, the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with reductions in both non-ACSC and ACSC hospitalizations, with particularly large reductions seen in respiratory-related ACSCs. These reductions were likely due to many patient-level and health system-level factors associated with hospitalization rates. Further research into the causes and long-term outcomes associated with these reductions in ACSC admissions is needed to understand how the pandemic has affected the delivery of ambulatory and hospital care in the US.
| S-EPMC8931555 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundHospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs), conditions that should not require inpatient treatment if timely and appropriate ambulatory care is provided, may be an important contributor to rising healthcare costs and public health burden.ObjectiveTo examine if probable major depression is independently associated with hospitalization for an ACSC in patients with diabetes.DesignSecondary analysis of data from a prospective cohort study.ParticipantsPopulation-based cohort of 4,128 patients with diabetes ≥ 18 years old seen in primary care, who were enrolled between 2000 and 2002 and followed for 5 years (through 2007).Main measuresDepressive symptoms were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Outcomes of interest included time to initial hospitalization for an ACSC and total number of ACSC-related hospitalizations. We used Cox proportional hazards regression models to ascertain an association between probable major depression and time to ACSC-related hospitalization, as well as Poisson regression for models examining probable major depression and number of ACSC-related hospitalizations.Key resultsPatients' mean age at study enrollment was 63.4 years (Standard Deviation: 13.4 years). Over the 5-year follow-up period, 981 patients in the study were hospitalized a total of 1,721 times for an ACSC, comprising 45.1 % of all hospitalizations. After adjusting for baseline demographic, clinical and health-risk behavioral factors, probable major depression was associated with initial ACSC-related hospitalization (Hazard Ratio: 1.41, 95 % Confidence Interval [95 % CI]: 1.15, 1.72) and number of ACSC-related hospitalizations (Relative Risk: 1.37, 95 % CI: 1.12, 1.68).ConclusionsProbable major depression in patients with diabetes is independently associated with hospitalization for an ACSC. Additional research is warranted to ascertain if effective interventions for depression in patients with diabetes could reduce the risk of hospitalizations for ACSCs and their associated adverse outcomes.
| S-EPMC3682035 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAmbulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC) hospitalization is a widely accepted measure of the access to primary care. However, given its discretionary characteristics, the ACSC hospitalization can be a measure reflecting the influence of hospital bed supply. In Korea, where the quality of primary care and oversupply of hospital beds are coexistent concerns, ACSC hospitalization can be used to examine the impact of both factors. This study was performed to investigate the ACSC hospitalization rate as a measure of the hospital bed supply as well as access to primary care.MethodsData were obtained from the National Health Insurance Database for 2015. We calculated the age-sex standardized hospitalization rates for ACSC in the total population and crude rates of ACSC hospitalization for three different age groups in 252 districts in Korea. We calculated the variation statistics of ACSC hospitalization rates, and we estimated a linear regression model to investigate the factors for ACSC hospitalization.ResultsThere was a very high geographic variation in ACSC hospitalization rates. Higher density of primary care physicians was associated with a decreased ACSC hospitalization rate while a higher density of hospital beds in small to medium sized hospitals was associated with an increased rate. The deprivation index score had a strongly positive association with the ACSC hospitalization rates.ConclusionACSC hospitalization, while being a negative index of primary care access, can also be a measure indicating the impact of the hospital bed supply, and it is still a valid measure of the disparity of health care, the original motivation for this topic.
| S-EPMC6487016 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAmbulatory care sensitive hospitalizations (ACSHs) are commonly used as measures of access to and quality of care. They are defined as hospitalizations for certain acute and chronic conditions; yet, they are most commonly used in analyses comparing different groups without adjustment for individual-level comorbidity. We present an exploration of their roles in predicting ACSHs for acute and chronic conditions.MethodsUsing 1998-99 US Medicare claims for 1 06 930 SEER-Medicare control subjects and 1999 Area Resource File data, we modelled occurrence of acute and chronic ACSHs with logistic regression, examining effects of different predictors on model discriminatory power.ResultsFlags for the presence of a few comorbid conditions-congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, hypertension and, for acute ACSHs, dementia-contributed virtually all of the discriminative ability for predicting ACSHs. C-statistics were up to 0.96 for models predicting chronic ACSHs and up to 0.87 for predicting acute ACSHs. C-statistics for models lacking comorbidity flags were lower, at best 0.73, for both acute and chronic ACSHs.ConclusionComorbidity is far more important in predicting ACSH risk than any other factor, both for acute and chronic ACSHs. Imputations about quality and access should not be made from analyses that do not control for presence of important comorbid conditions. Acute and chronic ACSHs differ enough that they should be modelled separately. Unaggregated models restricted to persons with the relevant diagnoses are most appropriate for chronic ACSHs.
| S-EPMC3901312 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Hospitalizations for chronic ambulatory care sensitive conditions are an important indicator of health system equity and performance. Chronic ambulatory care sensitive conditions refer to chronic diseases that can be managed in primary care settings, including angina, asthma, and diabetes, with hospitalizations for these conditions considered potentially avoidable with adequate primary care interventions. Socioeconomic inequities in the risk of hospitalization have been observed in several health systems globally. While there are multiple studies examining the association between socioeconomic status and hospitalizations for chronic ambulatory care sensitive conditions, these studies have not been systematically reviewed. The objective of this study is to systematically identify and describe socioeconomic inequalities in hospitalizations for chronic ambulatory care sensitive conditions amongst adult populations in economically developed countries reported in high-quality observational studies published in the peer-reviewed literature. METHODS:Peer-reviewed literature was searched in six health and social science databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycInfo, CINAHL, ASSIA, and IBSS using search terms for hospitalization, socioeconomic status, and chronic ambulatory care sensitive conditions. Study titles and abstracts were first screened followed by full-text review according to the following eligibility criteria: 1) Study outcome is hospitalization for selected chronic ambulatory care sensitive conditions; 2) Primary exposure is individual- or area-level socioeconomic status; 3) Study population has a mean age ± 1 SD < 75 years of age; 4) Study setting is economically developed countries; and 5) Study type is observational. Relevant data was then extracted, and studies were critically appraised using appropriate tools from The Joanna Briggs Institute. Results were narratively synthesized according to socioeconomic constructs and type of adjustment (minimally versus fully adjusted). RESULTS:Of the 15,857 unique peer-reviewed studies identified, 31 studies met the eligibility criteria and were of sufficient quality for inclusion. Socioeconomic constructs and hospitalization outcomes varied across studies. However, despite this heterogeneity, a robust and consistent association between lower levels of socioeconomic status and higher risk of hospitalizations for chronic ambulatory care sensitive conditions was observed. CONCLUSIONS:This systematic review is the first to comprehensively identify and analyze literature on the relationship between SES and hospitalizations for chronic ambulatory care sensitive conditions, considering both aggregate and condition-specific outcomes that are common to several international health systems. The evidence consistently demonstrates that lower socioeconomic status is a risk factor for hospitalization across global settings. Effective health and social interventions are needed to reduce these inequities and ensure fair and adequate care across socioeconomic groups. TRIAL REGISTRATION:PROSPERO CRD42018088727.
| S-EPMC7197160 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Although regional health improvement collaboratives have been adopted nationwide to improve primary care quality, their effects on avoidable hospitalizations and costs remain unclear. We quantified the association of the Better Health Partnership, a primary care-led regional health improvement collaborative operating in Cuyahoga County, Ohio (Cleveland and surrounding suburbs), with hospitalization rates for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions. The partnership uses a positive deviance approach to identify, disseminate publicly, and accelerate adoption of best practices for care of patients with diabetes, heart failure, and hypertension. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we compared rates of hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions in six Ohio counties before (2003-08) and after (2009-14) the establishment of the partnership. Age- and sex-adjusted hospitalization rates for targeted ambulatory care-sensitive conditions in Cuyahoga County declined significantly more than the rates in the comparator counties in 2009-11 (106 fewer hospitalizations per 100,000 adult residents) and 2012-14 (91 fewer hospitalizations). We estimated that 5,746 hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions were averted in 2009-14, leading to cost savings of nearly $40 million.
| S-EPMC7003658 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions (ACSCs) are health conditions for which adequate management, treatment and interventions delivered in the ambulatory care setting could potentially prevent hospitalization. Which conditions are sensitive to ambulatory care varies according to the scope of health care services and the context in which the indicator is used. The need for a country-specific validated list for Portugal has already been identified, but currently no national list exists. The objective of this study was to develop a list of Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions for Portugal. METHODS:A modified web-based Delphi panel approach was designed, in order to determine which conditions can be considered ACSCs in the Portuguese adult population. The selected experts were general practitioners and internal medicine physicians identified by the most relevant Portuguese scientific societies. Experts were presented with previously identified ACSC and asked to select which could be accepted in the Portuguese context. They were also asked to identify other conditions they considered relevant. We estimated the number and cost of ACSC hospitalizations in 2017 in Portugal according to the identified conditions. RESULTS:After three rounds the experts agreed on 34 of the 45 initially proposed items. Fourteen new conditions were proposed and four achieved consensus, namely uterine cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, thromboembolic venous disease and voluntary termination of pregnancy. In 2017 133,427 hospitalizations were for ACSC (15.7% of all hospitalizations). This represents a rate of 1685 per 100,000 adults. The most frequent diagnosis were pneumonia, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/chronic bronchitis, urinary tract infection, colorectal cancer, hypertensive disease atrial fibrillation and complications of diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSIONS:New ACSC were identified. It is expected that this list could be used henceforward by epidemiologic studies, health services research and for healthcare management purposes. ACSC lists should be updated frequently. Further research is necessary to increase the specificity of ACSC hospitalizations as an indicator of healthcare performance.
| S-EPMC7429814 | biostudies-literature