Pediatric HM Literature
Well Visits Prevent Ambulatory-Care-Sensitive Hospitalizations
Reviewed by Pediatric Editor Mark Shen, MD, FHM, medical director of hospital medicine at Dell Children’s Medical Center, Austin, Texas.
Clinical question: Is routine well-child care visit adherence associated with a decreased risk of ambulatory-care-sensitive hospitalizations?
Background: Ambulatory-care-sensitive hospitalizations (ACSHs) represent admissions that might have been prevented by quality outpatient care. They are an improvement opportunity for healthcare systems; thus, it is important to characterize factors associated with increased ACSH. Although continuity of care (COC) with the same provider has been associated with reduced hospitalizations, the relationship between regularly scheduled well-child care (WCC) and ACSH is less clear.
Study design: Population-based, retrospective cohort study.
Setting: Hawaii’s largest health insurer.
Synopsis: Young children with the highest likelihood of ACSH (two months to 3.5 years old) who were continuously enrolled in coverage by Hawaii’s largest health insurer (representing 70% of the civilian population) were included. Ultimately, administrative data on 36,944 children were analyzed for WCC adherence rate and a nonlinear COC index, both of which were modeled as time-varying categorical variables.
ACSH were defined by conditions, and notably included acute respiratory-tract infections. Both high WCC visit adherence and COC index were independently associated with decreased risk of ACSH and were modified significantly by chronic-disease status.
This study examines a somewhat unique population: insured children in Hawaii with a relatively high degree of consistency in care. Thus, it is not applicable to the most vulnerable Medicaid and uninsured groups of children. In addition, the relationship between WCC visit adherence and ACSH seemed to disappear in healthy children, further limiting generalizability. Nevertheless, it appears that WCC visits without provider continuity might still be protective for ACSH. It will be important to replicate these findings in a population served by safety-net clinics: children who most often have WCC without continuity.
Bottom line: WCC visit adherence in insured patients with chronic disease reduces the risk of ACSH.
Citation: Tom JO, Tseng CW, Davis J, Solomon C, Zhou C, Mangione-Smith R. Missed well-child care visits, low continuity of care, and risk of ambulatory care-sensitive hospitalizations in young children. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2010;164(11):1052-1058.