title: Comparison of two methods to report potentially avoidable hospitalizations in France in 2012: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Potentially avoidable hospitalizations represent an indirect measure of access to effective primary care. However many approaches have been proposed to measure them and results may differ considerably. This work aimed at examining the agreement between the Weissman and Ansari approaches in order to measure potentially avoidable hospitalizations in France.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on the 2012 French national hospital discharge database (Programme de Médicalisation des Systèmes d'Information), potentially avoidable hospitalizations were measured using two approaches proposed by Weissman et al. and by Ansari et al. Age- and sex-standardised rates were calculated in each department. The two approaches were compared for diagnosis groups, type of stay, severity, age, sex, and length of stay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number and age-standardised rate of potentially avoidable hospitalizations estimated by the Weissman et al. and Ansari et al. approaches were 742,474 (13.3 cases per 1,000 inhabitants) and 510,206 (9.0 cases per 1,000 inhabitants), respectively. There are significant differences by conditions groups, age, length of stay, severity level, and proportion of medical stays between the Weissman and Ansari methods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Regarding potentially avoidable hospitalizations in France in 2012, the agreement between the Weissman and Ansari approaches is poor. The method used to measure potentially avoidable hospitalizations is critical, and might influence the assessment of accessibility and performance of primary care.
authors.affiliation: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Montpellier, France. r-bourret@chu-montpellier.fr.|MACVIA-LR: Fighting Chronic Diseases for Active and Healthy Ageing (Reference Site of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing), Montpellier, France. r-bourret@chu-montpellier.fr.
authors.forename: Rodolphe
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bourret
authors.affiliation: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Montpellier, France. g-mercier@chu-montpellier.fr.|MACVIA-LR: Fighting Chronic Diseases for Active and Healthy Ageing (Reference Site of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing), Montpellier, France. g-mercier@chu-montpellier.fr.
authors.forename: Grégoire
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mercier
authors.affiliation: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Montpellier, France. jacques.mercier@univ-montp1.fr.|MACVIA-LR: Fighting Chronic Diseases for Active and Healthy Ageing (Reference Site of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing), Montpellier, France. jacques.mercier@univ-montp1.fr.|University of Montpellier 1, Montpellier, France. jacques.mercier@univ-montp1.fr.
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mercier
authors.affiliation: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Montpellier, France. o-jonquet@chu-montpellier.fr.|MACVIA-LR: Fighting Chronic Diseases for Active and Healthy Ageing (Reference Site of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing), Montpellier, France. o-jonquet@chu-montpellier.fr.|University of Montpellier 1, Montpellier, France. o-jonquet@chu-montpellier.fr.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Jonquet
authors.affiliation: MACVIA-LR: Fighting Chronic Diseases for Active and Healthy Ageing (Reference Site of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing), Montpellier, France. jean.emmanuel.delacoussaye@chu-nimes.fr.|University of Montpellier 1, Montpellier, France. jean.emmanuel.delacoussaye@chu-nimes.fr.|Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Nîmes, France. jean.emmanuel.delacoussaye@chu-nimes.fr.
authors.forename: Jean-Emmanuel
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: De La Coussaye
authors.affiliation: MACVIA-LR: Fighting Chronic Diseases for Active and Healthy Ageing (Reference Site of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing), Montpellier, France. philippejean.bousquet@orange.fr.
authors.forename: Philippe J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Bousquet
authors.affiliation: MACVIA-LR: Fighting Chronic Diseases for Active and Healthy Ageing (Reference Site of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing), Montpellier, France. robinejm@gmail.com.|Inserm, U710 and 988, Montpellier, France. robinejm@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jean-Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Robine
authors.affiliation: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Montpellier, France. jean.bousquet@inserm.fr.|MACVIA-LR: Fighting Chronic Diseases for Active and Healthy Ageing (Reference Site of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing), Montpellier, France. jean.bousquet@inserm.fr.|University of Montpellier 1, Montpellier, France. jean.bousquet@inserm.fr.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bousquet
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D018447:Medical Futility; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D012737:Sex Factors