Community Urgent Care Use Following Implementation of the Veterans Affairs Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks Act

Bibliographic Data

ID9097613
AuthorsAnita A Vashi (Center for Innovation to Implementation, VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, Menlo Park), Anita Vashi (0000-0002-6305-6779, University of California, San Francisco, corresponding author), Tracy Urech (0000-0001-6512-3480, Center for Innovation to Implementation, VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, Menlo Park, corresponding author), Siqi Wu (0000-0001-8234-6600, Center for Innovation to Implementation, VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, Menlo Park, corresponding author), Derek Boothroyd (0000-0001-5387-6995, Quantitative Sciences Unit, Stanford University, Stanford, CA), Paril A Mehta (Community Care), Paril Mehta (Department of Veterans Affairs, VHA Office of Community Care (10D), Washington, DC), Aaron L Dalton (Center for Innovation to Implementation, VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, Menlo Park), Aaron Dalton (VA Palo Alto Health Care System, corresponding author), Elizabeth Brill (0000-0001-6182-3113, Department of Veterans Affairs, VHA Office of Community Care (10D), Washington, DC), Chad Kessler (Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC), Steven M Asch (0000-0001-5838-5335, Center for Innovation to Implementation, VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, Menlo Park, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume59
IssueSuppl 3
PagesS314-S321
Publication date2021-06-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMedical Care (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0025-7079 • E-ISSN: 1537-1948
PublisherOvid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1097/mlr.0000000000001549
PMID33976082
OpenAlexW3161717944
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited19

BACKGROUND: Effective June 6, 2019, Veterans Affairs (VA) began offering a new urgent care (UC) benefit that provides eligible Veterans with greater choice and access to care for the treatment of minor injuries and illnesses in their local communities. OBJECTIVES: The aim was to describe trends in UC use, identify predictors of UC benefit use, and understand the factors associated with community UC use versus VA emergency department (ED) or urgent care center (UCC) use. STUDY DESIGN: Using VA administrative data, this was a retrospective cross-sectional study of Veterans that were enrolled in VA in FY19. Veterans were classified into 3 groups: UC benefit users, benefit non-users, and VA ED/UCC users. METHODS: We used summary statistics to compare population characteristics across user groups. To determine whether predisposing, enabling, and need factors predicted UC benefit use and setting choice (community UCC vs. VA ED/UCC), 2 logistic regression models were fitted to assess odds of UC use. RESULTS: From June 6, 2019 through February 29, 2020, 138,305 Veterans made 175,821 community UC visits. The majority of visits were made by White males who were not subject to co-pays. The average cost to VA for UC visits was $132 (SD=$135). Upper respiratory infections were the most common reason for UC use. Being younger, female, and living farther from a VA ED/UCC was associated with greater UC benefit use compared with both benefit non-users and VA ED/UCC users. CONCLUSIONS: The new benefit expands Veteran access to UC services for low-acuity conditions

Emergency department · Environmental health · Family medicine · Logistic regression · Medical emergency · Odds · Population · Psychological intervention · Veterans Affairs · Emergency and Acute Care Studies · Emergency Medicine · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Nursing · Primary Care and Health Outcomes · Trauma and Emergency Care Studies · Gerontology

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