scholarly journals Influence of insurance type on rate and type of initial concussion-related medical visits among youth

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Radlicz ◽  
Kenneth Jackson ◽  
Amanda Hautmann ◽  
Junxin Shi ◽  
Jingzhen Yang

Abstract Background A growing number of studies report increased concussion-related health care utilization in recent years, but factors impacting care-seeking behaviors among youth following a concussion are not well described. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of insurance type on the rate and type of initial concussion visits and the time from injury to the initial visit in youth. Methods We extracted and analyzed initial concussion-related medical visits for youth ages 10 to 17 from electronic health records. Patients must have visited Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s (NCH) concussion clinic at least once between 7/1/2012 and 12/31/2017. We evaluated the trends and patterns of initial concussion visits across the study period using regression analyses. Results Of 4955 unique concussion visits included, 60.1% were males, 80.5% were white, and 69.5% were paid by private insurance. Patients’ average age was 13.9 years (SD = 3.7). The rate of the initial concussion visits per 10,000 NCH visits was consistently higher in privately insured than publicly insured youth throughout the study period (P < .0001). Privately insured youth had greater odds of initial concussion visits to sports medicine clinics (AOR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.20, 1.76) but lower odds of initial concussion visits to the ED/urgent care (AOR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.60, 0.90) than publicly insured youth. Days from injury to initial concussion visit significantly decreased among both insurance types throughout the study (P < .0001), with a greater decrease observed in publicly insured than privately insured youth (P = .011). Conclusions Results on the differences in the rate, type, and time of initial concussion-related visits may help inform more efficient care of concussion among youth with different types of insurance.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Radlicz ◽  
Kenneth Jackson ◽  
Amanda Hautmann ◽  
Junxin Shi ◽  
Jingzhen (Ginger) Yang

Abstract Background: A growing number of studies report increased concussion-related health care utilization in recent years, but factors impacting care-seeking behaviors among youth following a concussion are not well described. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of insurance type on the rate and type of initial concussion visits and the time from injury to the initial visit in youth. Methods: We extracted and analyzed initial concussion-related medical visits for youth ages 10 to 17 from electronic health records. Patients must have visited Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s (NCH) concussion clinic at least once between 7/1/2012 and 12/31/2017. We evaluated the trends and patterns of initial concussion visits across the study period using regression analyses.Results: Of 4,955 unique concussion visits included, 60.1% were males, 80.5% were white, and 69.5% were paid by private insurance. Patients’ average age was 13.9 years (SD=3.7). The rate of the initial concussion visits per 10,000 NCH visits was consistently higher in privately insured than publicly insured youth throughout the study period (P < .0001). Privately insured youth had greater odds of initial concussion visits to sports medicine clinics (AOR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.20, 1.76) but lower odds of initial concussion visits to the ED/urgent care (AOR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.60, 0.90) than publicly insured youth. Days from injury to initial concussion visit significantly decreased among both insurance types throughout the study (P < .0001), with a greater decrease observed in publicly insured than privately insured youth (P = .011).Conclusions: Results on the differences in the rate, type, and time of initial concussion-related visits may help inform more efficient care of concussion among youth with different types of insurance.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Calvano ◽  
Petra Warschburger

Background. Pain symptoms, associated impairment, and parental perception of threat are reported to be predictors of health care utilization (HCU) in childhood chronic abdominal pain (CAP). However, mediating variables and their interrelations have not yet been systematically studied. Objectives. This study aims to identify mediating pathways of influence between child’s abdominal pain and the number of pain-related medical visits. Methods. In a multicenter study, we recruited N = 151 parent-child dyads with children aged 6–17 years suffering from CAP. A composite measure of pain symptoms was defined as predictor and the number of pain-related medical visits as outcome variable. This relation was analyzed by serial mediation, including child- and parent-reported impairment and parental threat perception as mediators. Results. Only parental threat perception significantly linked child’s pain symptoms to the number of medical visits. Measures of impairment did not have a significant effect. Conclusions. Parental pain-related threat perception is strongly related to health care seeking in childhood CAP. Addressing threat perception might be a fruitful parent-centered approach in clinical practice.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 232596711876335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miranda J. Rogers ◽  
Ian Penvose ◽  
Emily J. Curry ◽  
Anthony DeGiacomo ◽  
Xinning Li

Background: In the senior author’s (X.L.) orthopaedic sports medicine clinic in the United States (US), patients appear to have difficulty finding physical therapy (PT) practices that accept Medicaid insurance for postoperative rehabilitation. Purpose: To determine access to PT services for privately insured patients versus those with Medicaid who underwent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in the largest metropolitan area in the state of Massachusetts, which underwent Medicaid expansion as part of the Affordable Care Act. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Locations offering PT services were identified through Google, Yelp, and Yellow Pages internet searches. Each practice was contacted and queried about health insurance type accepted (Medicaid [public] vs Blue Cross Blue Shield [private]) for postoperative ACL reconstruction rehabilitation. Additional data collection points included time to first appointment, reason for not accepting insurance, and ability to refer to a location accepting insurance type. Median income and percentage of households living in poverty were also noted through US Census data for the town in which the practice was located. Results: Of the 157 PT locations identified, contact was made with 139 to achieve a response rate of 88.5%. Overall, 96.4% of practices took private insurance, while 51.8% accepted Medicaid. Among those locations that did not accept Medicaid, only 29% were able to refer to a clinic that would accept it. “No contract” was the most common reason why Medicaid was not accepted (39.4%). Average time to first appointment was 5.8 days for privately insured patients versus 8.4 days for Medicaid patients ( P = .0001). There was no significant difference between clinic location (town median income or poverty level) and insurance type accepted. Conclusion: The study results reveal that 43% fewer PT clinics accept Medicaid as compared with private insurance for postoperative ACL reconstruction rehabilitation in a large metropolitan area. Furthermore, Medicaid patients must wait significantly longer for an initial appointment. Access to PT care is still limited despite the expansion of Medicaid insurance coverage to all patients in the state.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Summer Sherburne Hawkins ◽  
Krisztina Horvath ◽  
Jessica Cohen ◽  
Lydia E. Pace ◽  
Christopher F. Baum

Abstract Background Although all 11- or 12-year-olds in the US were recommended to receive a 3-dose series of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine within a 12-month period prior to 2016, rates of completion of the HPV vaccine series remained suboptimal. The effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including private insurance coverage with no cost-sharing and health insurance expansions, on HPV vaccine completion are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between the ACA’s 2010 provisions and 2014 insurance expansions with HPV vaccine completion by sex and health insurance type. Methods Using 2009–2015 public and private health insurance claims from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, we identified 9-to-26-year-olds who had at least one HPV vaccine dose. We conducted a logistic regression model to examine the associations between the ACA policy changes with HPV vaccine completion (defined as receiving a 3-dose series within 12 months from the date of initiation) as well as interactions by sex and health insurance type. Results Over the study period, among females and males who initiated the HPV vaccine, 27.6 and 28.0%, respectively, completed the series within 12 months. Among females, the 2010 ACA provision was associated with a 4.3 percentage point increases in HPV vaccine completion for the privately-insured (0.043; 95% CI: 0.036–0.061) and a 5.7 percentage point increase for Medicaid enrollees (0.057; 95% CI: 0.032–0.081). The 2014 health insurance expansions were associated with a 9.4 percentage point increase in vaccine completion for females with private insurance (0.094; 95% CI: 0.082–0.107) and a 8.5 percentage point increase for Medicaid enrollees (0.085; 95% CI: 0.068–0.102). Among males, the 2014 ACA reforms were associated with a 5.1 percentage point increase in HPV vaccine completion for the privately-insured (0.051; 95% CI: 0.039–0.063) and a 3.4 percentage point increase for Medicaid enrollees (0.034; 95% CI: 0.017–0.050). In a sensitivity analysis, findings were similar with HPV vaccine completion within 18 months. Conclusions Despite low HPV vaccine completion overall, both sets of ACA provisions were associated with increases in completion among females and males. Our results suggest that expanding Medicaid across the remaining states could increase HPV vaccine completion among publicly-insured youth and prevent HPV-related cancers.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. e025356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilir Hoxha ◽  
Medina Braha ◽  
Lamprini Syrogiannouli ◽  
David C Goodman ◽  
Peter Jüni

ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to assess the odds of caesarean section (CS) for uninsured women in the USA and understand the underlying mechanisms as well as consequences of lower use.Study designSystematic review and meta-analysis.Data sourcesPubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library and CINAHL from the first year of records to April 2018.Eligibility criteriaWe included studies that reported data to allow the calculation of ORs of CS of uninsured as compared with insured women.OutcomesThe prespecified primary outcome was the adjusted OR of deliveries by CS of uninsured women as compared with privately or publicly insured women. The prespecified secondary outcome was the crude OR of deliveries by CS of uninsured women as compared with insured women.Results12 articles describing 16 separate studies involving more than 8.8 million women were included in this study. We found: 0.70 times lower odds of CS in uninsured as compared with privately insured women (95% CI 0.63 to 0.78), with no relevant heterogeneity between studies (τ2=0.01); and 0.92 times lower odds for CS in uninsured as compared with publicly insured women (95% CI 0.80 to 1.07), with no relevant heterogeneity between studies (τ2=0.02). We found 0.70 times lower odds in uninsured as compared with privately and publicly insured women (95% CI 0.69 to 0.72).ConclusionsCSs are less likely to be performed in uninsured women as compared with insured women. While the higher rates for CS among privately insured women can be explained with financial incentives associated with private insurance, the lower odds among uninsured women draw attention at barriers to access for delivery care. In many regions, the rates for uninsured women are above, close or below the benchmarks for appropriate CS rates and could imply both, underuse and overuse.


2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 132-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyssa Pozniak ◽  
Louise Hadden ◽  
William Rhodes ◽  
Sarah Minden

Background: Previous research suggests that most people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the United States have health insurance. However, little is known about their coverage or how it differs between public and private insurance. We examined whether the perceived change in health insurance coverage from the previous year differs between individuals with MS who are privately insured compared with those who are publicly insured. Methods: We present descriptive statistics and odds ratios (ORs) from a multivariate logistic regression using data from the 2009 wave of the Sonya Slifka Longitudinal Multiple Sclerosis Study. Results: We found that individuals with Medicare were significantly less likely to perceive worse coverage compared with those with private health insurance (OR = 0.53; P &lt; .01). Individuals aged 55 to 64 years were more likely to perceive worse coverage than those aged 18 to 34 years (OR = 2.5; P &lt; .05), while the odds of perceiving worse coverage were significantly lower for individuals who had been diagnosed more than 15 years previously relative to those diagnosed in the past 2 years (OR = 0.48; P &lt; .05). Conclusions: Individuals with MS and other chronic illnesses who can choose between public and private insurance should be aware that there are important differences in perceptions of health insurance coverage between publicly and privately insured individuals.


2021 ◽  
pp. 108482232110013
Author(s):  
Tami M. Videon ◽  
Robert J. Rosati ◽  
Steven H. Landers

COVID-19 patients represent a new and distinct population in home health care. Little is known about health care utilization and incremental improvements in health for recovering COVID-19 patients after admission to home health care. Using a retrospective observational cohort study of 5452 episodes of home health care admitted to a New Jersey Home Health Agency between March 15 and May 31, 2020, this study describes COVID-19 Home Health Care (HHC) patients ( n = 842) and compare them to the general HHC population ( n = 4610). COVID HHC patients differ in significant ways from the typical HHC population. COVID patients were more likely to be 65 years of age and younger (41% vs 26%), be from a racial/ethnic minority (60% vs 31%), live with another person (85% vs 76%), have private insurance (28% vs 16%), and began HHC with greater independence in activities-of-daily-living (ADL/IADLs). COVID patients received fewer overall visits than their non-COVID counterparts (11.7 vs 16.3), although they had significantly more remote visits (1.7 vs 0.3). Multivariate analyses show that COVID patients early in the pandemic were 34% (CI, 28%-40%) less likely to be hospitalized and demonstrated significantly greater improvement in all the outcome measures examined compared to the general home health population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 238146832098477
Author(s):  
Ya-Chen Tina Shih ◽  
Ying Xu ◽  
Lisa M. Lowenstein ◽  
Robert J. Volk

Introduction. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services requires a written order of shared decision making (SDM) visit in its coverage policy for low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) for lung cancer screening (LCS). With screening eligibility starting at age 55, private insurance plans will likely adopt this coverage policy. This study examined the implementation of SDM in the context of LCS among the privately insured. Methods. We constructed two study cohorts from MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database 2016-2017: a LDCT cohort who received LDCT for LCS and an SDM cohort who had an LCS-related SDM visit. For the LDCT cohort, we examined the trend and factors associated with the receipt of SDM within 3 months prior to LDCT. For the SDM cohort, we studied the trend and factors associated with LDCT within 3 months after an SDM visit. Results. For privately insured adults aged <64, 93% (19,681/21,084) of the LDCT cohort did not have a billing claim indicating SDM, although the uptake of SDM increased from 3.1% in 1Q2016 to 8.2% in 4Q2017 ( P < 0.0001). For the SDM cohort, 46% (948/2048) did not have a claim for an LDCT for lung cancer screening in the 3 months after the SDM visit; this percentage increased from 29.5% in 1Q2016 to 61.8% in 3Q2017 ( P < 0.0001). Limitations. Findings cannot be generalized to other nonelderly adults without private insurance. Additionally, the rate of SDM identified from claims may be underreported. Conclusions. We found a growing but low uptake of SDM among privately insured individuals who underwent LDCT. The higher rate of LDCT in the SDM cohort than the rate reported in national studies emphasized the importance of patient awareness.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 237437352110340
Author(s):  
Iwimbong Kum Ghabowen ◽  
Neeraj Bhandari

Patient-centered care is at the nexus of several overlapping institutional reforms to improve health care system performance. However, we know little regarding Medicaid patients’ experience with their doctors along several key dimensions of patient-centered care, and how their experience compares with Medicare and privately insured patients. We studied 4 outcomes using the 2017 National Health Interview Survey: patient–provider concordance on racial/sexual/cultural identity, respectful provider attitude, solicitation of patient opinion/beliefs during the care encounter, and patient-centered communication (PCC). The primary independent variable was Medicaid enrollee status. We dichotomized responses and ran multivariate logistic regressions for each type of care experience outcome, controlling for sociodemographic factors, health care access, and health care utilization of respondents. Compared to Medicare and privately insured enrollees, Medicaid enrollees reported much lower odds of seeing providers who treated them with respect (OR = 1.91, P < .001; OR = 1.62, P < .01) and who offered PCC (OR = 1.35, P < .05; OR = 1.35, P < .01), but similar odds of seeing concordant providers (OR = 0.78, P = .96; OR = 0.96, P = .72). Importantly, Medicaid enrollees reported higher odds of seeing providers who solicited their opinion/beliefs/preferences than their Medicare or privately insured counterparts (OR = 0.82, P < .05; OR = 0.87 P < .10). Medicaid enrollees report less patient-centered experiences in some important facets of their provider interaction than their Medicare or privately insured counterparts. Federal, state, and local policies and practices directed at improving these facets of patient–provider interaction are needed and should be aimed squarely at Medicaid providers, especially those working in geographic areas and settings with a disproportionate number of racial, gender, cultural, and linguistic minorities.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 106 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 937-941
Author(s):  
Kenneth D. Mandl ◽  
Charles J. Homer ◽  
Oren Harary ◽  
Jonathan A. Finkelstein

Objective. To determine the impact of reduced postpartum length of stay (LOS) on primary care services use. Methods. Design: Retrospective quasiexperimental study, comparing 3 periods before and 1 period after introducing an intervention and adjusting for time trends.Setting: A managed care plan.Intervention: A reduced obstetrical LOS program (ROLOS), offering enhanced education and services.Participants: mother-infant dyads, delivered during 4 time periods: February through May 1992, 1993, and 1994, before ROLOS, and 1995, while ROLOS was in effect.Independent Measures: Pre-ROLOS or the post-ROLOS year.Outcome Measures: Telephone calls, visits, and urgent care events during the first 3 weeks postpartum summed as total utilization events. Results. Before ROLOS, LOS decreased gradually (from 51.6 to 44.3 hours) and after, sharply to 36.5 hours. Although primary care use did not increase before ROLOS, utilization for dyads increased during ROLOS. Before ROLOS, there were between 2.37 and 2.72 utilization events per dyad; after, there were 4.60. Well-child visits increased slightly to .98 visits per dyad, but urgent visits did not. Conclusion. This program resulted in shortened stays and more primary care use. There was no increase in infant urgent primary care utilization. Early discharge programs that incorporate and reimburse for enhanced ambulatory services may be safe for infants; these findings should not be extrapolated to mandatory reduced LOS initiatives without enhancement of care.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document