Effect of Massachusetts healthcare reform on racial and ethnic disparities in admissions to hospital for ambulatory care sensitive conditions: retrospective analysis of hospital episode statistics.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To examine the impact of Massachusetts healthcare reform on changes in rates of admission to hospital for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs), which are potentially preventable with good access to outpatient medical care, and racial and ethnic disparities in such rates, using complete inpatient discharge data (hospital episode statistics) from Massachusetts and three control states.

Design

Difference in differences analysis to identify the change, overall and according to race/ethnicity, adjusted for secular changes unrelated to reform.

Setting

Hospitals in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, United States.

Participants

Adults aged 18-64 (those most likely to have been affected by the reform) admitted for any of 12 ACSCs i

SUBMITTER: McCormick D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4382709 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature