Triage to a Florida TC is associated with a decreased risk of death. Moreover, cost/life year saved is favorable when compared with societal expenditures for other health problems. Improved deployment of TCs is necessary to optimize access. This assessment methodology is a useful model for evaluation of mature trauma systems.
ObjectiveTo analyse the financial costs from sports injuries among inpatients and emergency department (ED) patients aged 5–18 with a focus on Medicaid patients.MethodsFixed-effects linear regression was used to assess the association of patient factors with cost of injury from sports. Florida Agency for Health Care Administration data from 2010 to 2014 were used, which included all inpatient and ED patients aged 5–18 years who had a sports injury.ResultsOver 5 years, sports injuries in Florida youth cost $24 million for inpatient care and $87 million for ED care. Youth averaged $6039 for an inpatient visit and $439 for an ED visit in costs from sports injuries. Sports injuries for Medicaid-insured youth cost $10.8 million for inpatient visits and $44.2 million for ED visits.ConclusionOlder athletes and males consistently have higher healthcare costs from sports. Baseball, basketball, bike riding, American football, roller-skating/skateboarding and soccer are sports with high costs for both ED patients and inpatients and would benefit from prevention programmes. Injuries from non-contact sport participants are few but can have high costs. These athletes could benefit from prevention programmes as well.
Objective: This study assessed affordability of care in a diverse sample of Floridians aged ≥ 65 to ascertain concerns about health care costs. Methods: We surveyed 170 adults (40.6% white, 27.6% black, and 31.8% Hispanic) and conducted three race/ethnic-stratified focus groups ( n = 27). Results: Most participants had Medicare (97.1%). Among whites, 11.6% reported problems paying medical bills in the past 12 months versus 14.9% of blacks and 24.1% of Hispanics. In addition, 13% of whites, 19.2% of blacks, and 20.4% of Hispanics reported not getting needed prescription drugs because of costs. The most frequently identified concerns from the focus groups were the cost of prescription drugs, out-of-pocket expenses, and medical billing. Concerns about medical billing included understanding bills, transparency, timely postings, and uncertainty about who to contact about problems. Discussion: Our findings suggest that practices that help older adults effectively manage medical bills and costs may alleviate their concerns and guard against financial burdens.
Rising healthcare costs create significant financial burden for Americans and is a threat to the well-being of our growing, racially/ethnically diverse, older population. In a mixed method study, we assessed ability to afford care and ascertain concerns about healthcare cost in a racially diverse sample of Floridians ages ≥ 65. We surveyed 170 adults (40.4% White, 27.6% African Americans/Black and 31.8% Latino/Hispanic) and conducted three race-stratified focus groups (n=27). Most participants had Medicare coverage (97.1%) and 27% also had Medicaid. Approximately 11.6% of Whites had problems paying medical bills in the past 12 months versus 14.9% of African Americans/Blacks and 24.1% of Latino/Hispanics. Additionally, 13% of Whites, 19.2% of African Americans/Blacks and 20.4% of Hispanics reported not getting needed prescription drugs because they could not afford them. Approximately 45.7% either perceived that their doctor “never” takes into account costs for treatment or did not know whether costs were considered. Multiple regression analyses showed no statistically significant racial/ethnic differences in affordability problems. From the focus groups, healthcare cost concerns most frequently identified by participants were the high cost of prescriptions drug, rising co-pays and out of pocket expenses, and medical billing. Participants’ concerns about medical billing included understanding their bills, transparency in billing, timely posting of charges, and uncertainty about who to talk to about billing problems. Our findings suggest that routine discussions about healthcare costs with doctors or designated healthcare personnel should help ease financial burden and healthcare costs concerns among older adults.
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