title: Does age influence the intensity of care in a managed care organization?
abstract: The primary objective of this study was to determine whether an inverse relationship between age and the intensity of care prevailed in an elderly, functionally impaired population enrolled in a managed care organization. The secondary objective was to determine whether those who died during the study were treated more intensively than the survivors. A total of 278 enrollees in a managed care organization who were 75 years and over, had a severe functional disability, excessive hospital or Emergency Department use, volunteered to take part in a 2-year study. Seventy-seven clients died during the study. We calculated indices of outpatient care intensity and hospital care intensity for the study period. With minor exceptions, the results clearly show that, for this group of clients, the intensity of outpatient care was clearly, inversely related to age. The intensity of hospital care was also inversely related to age, thereby ruling out the hypothesis that it was being substituted for outpatient care. The results also clearly show that, for this population, those who died during the study period were treated more intensively than the survivors. We found strong support for our hypotheses. An investigation of the reasons for these findings was beyond the scope of our data.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Wichita State University, KS 67260-0152, USA. Michael.Long@Wichita.edu
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lescoe-Long
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000145:classification; D032722:Advance Care Planning; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003422:Critical Care / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016330:Frail Elderly / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009026:Mortality; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017741:Survivors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States; D014600:Utilization Review