Preventable hospitalization and avoidable maternity outcomes: implications for access to health services for Medicaid recipients.
This study demonstrates how readily available hospital discharge data and small area methods can be used to identify potential problems of access to primary and prenatal outpatient health services for Medicaid populations. We examine whether rates of preventable hospitalization and avoidable maternity outcomes differ across geographic areas by their concentration of Medicaid recipients. Five county and twenty-four intra-county areas in Upstate New York are examined. Individuals living in Medicaid intra-county areas had significantly higher rates of these hospitalizations than persons living in non-Medicaid areas. Public health managers can use these methods to identify and compare areas in which access problems exist and to target and evaluate programs designed to improve access.
Laditka
S B
SB
Center for Health and Aging, State University of New York Institute of Technology, Utica/Rome 13504-3050, USA.
Johnston
J M
JM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008484:Medicaid / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009518:New York; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019035:Rural Health Services; D017062:Small-Area Analysis; D014481:United States