title: What Factors Are Associated With Medicaid Patients' Use of Health Centers?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify patient and neighborhood factors associated with health center (HC) use.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study of Medicaid fee-for-service claims in 2009 comparing HC users and nonusers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dually eligible patients (odds ratio [OR] 95% CI = [0.60, 0.61]) and those with high chronic disease burden (OR 95% CI = [0.73, 0.74]) had lower odds of HC use. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families participants (OR 95% CI = [1.20, 1.24]), black (OR 95% CI = [1.33, 1.36]) and Hispanic (OR 95% CI = [1.22, 1.25]) beneficiaries had higher odds. Local HC presence predicted higher HC use (OR 95% CI = [2.63, 2.70]).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings may be useful in steering HC policies affecting critical access for Medicaid beneficiaries.
authors.affiliation: 1 University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Yihe N
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: 1 University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Nocon
authors.affiliation: 2 US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Rockville, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Ravi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: 1 University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Elbert S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D008484:Medicaid / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States
keywords: access to care; community health; community health centers; patient-centeredness; primary care