Preventable Hospitalizations - Ages 65-74 in United States
United States
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United States Value:
1,452
Discharges following hospitalization for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (PQI 90) per 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries ages 65-74 enrolled in the fee-for-service program
Preventable Hospitalizations - Ages 65-74 in depth:
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Preventable Hospitalizations - Ages 65-74 by State
Discharges following hospitalization for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (PQI 90) per 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries ages 65-74 enrolled in the fee-for-service program
Preventable Hospitalizations - Ages 65-74 in
Data from U.S. HHS, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of Minority Health, Mapping Medicare Disparities Tool, 2022
<= 1,105
1,106 - 1,308
1,309 - 1,517
1,518 - 1,704
>= 1,705
Preventable Hospitalizations - Ages 65-74
- U.S. HHS, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of Minority Health, Mapping Medicare Disparities Tool, 2022
About Preventable Hospitalizations - Ages 65-74
US Value: 1,452
Top State(s): Hawaii: 782
Bottom State(s): West Virginia: 2,526
Definition: Discharges following hospitalization for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (PQI 90) per 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries ages 65-74 enrolled in the fee-for-service program
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. HHS, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of Minority Health, Mapping Medicare Disparities Tool, 2022
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. HHS, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of Minority Health, Mapping Medicare Disparities Tool, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2024.
Unnecessary hospitalizations can lead to additional morbidity and mortality, loss of functional abilities and increased health care expenditures. The number of potentially preventable hospitalizations measures the use of primary care outpatient services and the quality of those services.
Beyond the health implications, avoidable hospitalizations place financial burdens on patients, insurance providers and hospitals. In 2017, the total cost of potentially preventable hospitalizations among adults in the United States was $33.7 billion. Patients age 65 and older have by far the highest rate of preventable hospitalizations.
According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the prevalence of preventable hospitalizations is higher among:
- Older men compared with older women.
- American Indian/Alaska Native and Black older adults compared with Asian/Pacific Islander and white older adults.
Additional research has found that older adults who live in low-income neighborhoods and older adults with dementia are also disproportionately affected by preventable hospitalizations.
Some hospital admissions related to chronic conditions or acute illnesses may be prevented through adequate management and treatment in outpatient settings. For older adults, continuous care with a physician is associated with fewer preventable hospitalizations. Strategies that target populations at high risk of hospitalization — such as older adults, patients taking multiple medications and those with multiple conditions or functional impairments — are effective at reducing the risk of 30-day hospital readmission.
There are individual steps older adults can take to help prevent unnecessary hospitalization, including:
- Staying physically and mentally active.
- Eating a well-balanced diet.
- Getting regular doctor visits.
- Improving visibility and reducing fall hazards in the home.
- Properly managing chronic conditions.
Healthy People 2030 has an objective to reduce the proportion of preventable hospitalizations in older adults with dementia.
Kringos, Dionne S., Wienke G. W. Boerma, Allen Hutchinson, Jouke van der Zee, and Peter P. Groenewegen. “The Breadth of Primary Care: A Systematic Literature Review of Its Core Dimensions.” BMC Health Services Research 10, no. 1 (December 2010): 65. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-10-65.
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Mahmoudi, Elham, Neil Kamdar, Allison Furgal, Ananda Sen, Phillip Zazove, and Julie Bynum. “Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations Among Older Adults: 2010-2014.” The Annals of Family Medicine 18, no. 6 (November 2020): 511–19. https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.2605.
Maslow, Katie, and Joseph G. Ouslander. “Measurement of Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations.” White paper. Washington, D.C.: Long-Term Quality Alliance, February 2012. https://ltqastg.wpengine.com/wp-content/themes/ltqaMain/custom/images//PreventableHospitalizations_021512_2.pdf.
McDermott, Kimberly W., and H. Joanna Jiang. “Characteristics and Costs of Potentially Preventable Inpatient Stays, 2017.” HCUP Statistical Brief #259. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, June 2020. https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb259-Potentially-Preventable-Hospitalizations-2017.jsp.
Moy, Ernest, Eva Chang, and Marguerite Barrett. “Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations - United States, 2001-2009.” MMWR Supplements 62, no. 3 (November 22, 2013): 139–43. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su6203a23.htm.
Nyweide, David J., Denise L. Anthony, Julie P. W. Bynum, Robert L. Strawderman, William B. Weeks, Lawrence P. Casalino, and Elliott S. Fisher. “Continuity of Care and the Risk of Preventable Hospitalization in Older Adults.” JAMA Internal Medicine 173, no. 20 (November 11, 2013): 1879–85. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.10059.
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