Ambulance diversions following public hospital emergency department closures.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To examine whether hospitals are more likely to temporarily close their emergency departments (EDs) to ambulances (through ambulance diversions) if neighboring diverting hospitals are public vs private.

Data sources/study setting

Ambulance diversion logs for California hospitals, discharge data, and hospital characteristics data from California's Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development and the American Hospital Association (2007).

Study design

We match public and private (nonprofit or for-profit) hospitals by distance and size. We use random-effects models examining diversion probability and timing of private hospitals following diversions by neighboring public vs matched private hospitals.

Data collection/extraction methods

N/A.

Princi

SUBMITTER: Hsuan C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6606538 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature