Ambulance diversions following public hospital emergency department closures.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE:To examine whether hospitals are more likely to temporarily close their emergency departments (EDs) to ambulances (through ambulance diversions) if neighboring diverting hospitals are public vs private. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING:Ambulance diversion logs for California hospitals, discharge data, and hospital characteristics data from California's Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development and the American Hospital Association (2007). STUDY DESIGN:We match public and private (nonprofit or for-profit) hospitals by distance and size. We use random-effects models examining diversion probability and timing of private hospitals following diversions by neighboring public vs matched private hospitals. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS:N/A. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Hospitals are 3.6 percent more likely to declare diversions if neighboring diverting hospitals are public vs private (P < 0.001). Hospitals declaring diversions have lower ED occupancy (P < 0.001) after neighboring public (vs private) hospitals divert. Hospitals have 4.2 percent shorter diversions if neighboring diverting hospitals are public vs private (P < 0.001). When the neighboring hospital ends its diversion first, hospitals terminate diversions 4.2 percent sooner if the neighboring hospital is public vs private (P = 0.022). CONCLUSIONS:Sample hospitals respond differently to diversions by neighboring public (vs private) hospitals, suggesting that these hospitals might be strategically declaring ambulance diversions to avoid treating low-paying patients served by public hospitals.

SUBMITTER: Hsuan C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6606538 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature