Ambulance diversion associated with reduced access to cardiac technology and increased one-year mortality.

ABSTRACT: Ambulance diversion, which occurs when a hospital emergency department (ED) is temporarily closed to incoming ambulance traffic, is an important system-level interruption that causes delays in treatment and potentially lower quality of care. There is little empirical evidence investigating the mechanisms through which ambulance diversion might affect patient outcomes. We investigated whether ambulance diversion affects access to technology, likelihood of treatment, and ultimately health outcomes for Medicare patients with acute myocardial infarction in twenty-six California counties. We found that patients whose nearest hospital ED had significant ambulance diversions experienced reduced access to hospitals with cardiac technology. This led to a 4.6 percent decreased likelihood of revascul

SUBMITTER: Shen YC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4591852 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature