title: Preventable hospital admissions among the homeless in California: a retrospective analysis of care for ambulatory care sensitive conditions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Limited research exists that investigates hospital admissions for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs) among the homeless, who frequently lack a usual source of care. This study profiled ACSC admissions for homeless patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bivariate analyses and logistic regression were completed to investigate ACSC and non-ACSC admissions among homeless patients using the 2010 California State Inpatient Database.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Homeless patients admitted for an ACSC were mostly male, non-Hispanic white, and on average 49.9 years old. In the predictive model, the odds of an ACSC admission among homeless patients increased when they were black, admitted to the emergency department or transferred from another health facility. Having Medicare was associated with a decreased odds of an ACSC admission.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Specific characteristics are associated with a greater likelihood of an ACSC admission. Research should examine how these characteristics contribute to ACSC hospitalizations and findings should be linked to programs designed to serve as a safety-net for homeless patients to reduce hospitalizations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences & Research, College of Health Professions, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Charleston, SC, USA. whitbm@musc.edu.
authors.forename: Brandi M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: White
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Allied Health Sciences, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA. ellisc14@ecu.edu.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences & Research, College of Health Professions, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Charleston, SC, USA. simpsonk@musc.edu.
authors.forename: Kit N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Simpson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002140:California; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare / Q000191:economics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult