Abstract

Potentially preventable emergency department visits in Florida
Track: Health and Human Services
Authors: Imam Xierali

Using 2007 HCUP data, this paper analyzes the spatial variations in potentially preventable emergency department visits in Florida and identify factors associated with the variations. Potentially preventable emergency department visits provide important insight into health care quality. It is defined as the emergency department visits that could have been prevented had high quality primary and preventive care been provided. High potentially preventable emergency department visit rate can identify areas where potential improvement in the health care delivery system and process of care can be made to improve health outcomes and reduce health care costs. Factors considered include patient age, gender, race and ethnicity, presence of comorbidities, insurance type, and spatial accessibility to primary care physicians. Logistic regression models will be developed to assess the impact of different factors affecting potentially preventable emergency department visits.