Factors Related to Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations Among the Elderly

Abstract

Policy efforts aimed at reducing the number of preventable hospitalizations among the elderly should address the complex health care delivery needs of those Medicare beneficiaries who have special health care needs because they are very old, black, live in core SMSA or rural counties, have poor overall health status, and have physical limitations. Efforts to reduce the number of Medicare beneficiaries who experience a preventable hospitalization may be cost-effective as these beneficiaries may account for up to 17.4% of Medicare's reimbursement for inpatient, outpatient, and physician services in our data set.