title: The declining rate of avoidable hospitalizations in the Veterans Health Administration.
abstract: Most research shows a lower rate of avoidable hospitalizations associated with better access to outpatient care. Such findings have important implications for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), with its change from delivering mainly inpatient services to emphasizing quality ambulatory care. From 1999 to 2004 the number of avoidable hospitalizations at the VHA increased while the rate per 10,000 enrollees declined. The trend in the rate of avoidable hospitalizations and the rapid growth of the beneficiary population indicate that new enrollees had a higher health status and perhaps better access to outpatient care.
authors.affiliation: VA Patient Safety Center, School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, FL, Tampa, USA. Elizabeth.Bass@med.va.gov
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bass
authors.forename: Etienne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pracht
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006300:Health Services Misuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs; D014600:Utilization Review