Does providing care for uninsured patients decrease emergency room visits and hospitalizations? J Prim Care Community Health 2013 Apr 01;4(2):135-42
Date
06/27/2013Pubmed ID
23799722Pubmed Central ID
PMC4818592DOI
10.1177/2150131913478981Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84893666805 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 17 CitationsAbstract
BACKGROUND: Access to primary care could reduce use of more costly health care by uninsured individuals through prevention and early treatment. We analyzed data from a program providing free primary care to test this hypothesis.
METHODS: We compared emergency room (ER) visits and hospitalizations among uninsured, low-income adults who received immediate versus delayed access to a program providing free primary care, including labs, X-rays, and specialty consultation. We used surveys to identify ER visits and hospitalizations during the 12 months preceding and following program enrollment or wait list entry.
RESULTS: Hospitalizations decreased from the year before entry to the year following entry in participants with immediate and delayed (6.0% vs 8.8% decrease) access. ER use also decreased in both groups (11.2% vs 15.4%).
CONCLUSIONS: Free primary care services and specialty consultation did not reduce use of more costly health care services during its first year. More prolonged availability of primary care might have greater impact.
Author List
Mackinney T, Visotcky AM, Tarima S, Whittle JAuthors
Theodore MacKinney MD Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinAlexis M. Visotcky Biostatistician III in the Data Science Institute department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Jeffrey Whittle BS, MPH, MD Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultAnalysis of Variance
Chronic Disease
Cost Savings
Emergency Service, Hospital
Health Services Accessibility
Hospitalization
Humans
Medically Uninsured
Models, Organizational
Poverty
Primary Health Care
Program Evaluation
Propensity Score
Uncompensated Care
Wisconsin
