Factors Influencing Healthcare Utilization Within a Free Community Clinic

Abstract

The purpose was to explore the relationship between the presence of a free community clinic and factors associated with utilization of healthcare through a secondary data analysis. Using a descriptive correlational design, results were analyzed to explore relationships between potential utilization of healthcare, identification of a regular source of healthcare, and health insurance status. Most subjects would not seek healthcare if the free community clinic was not available. Subjects with health insurance were significantly more likely to have a regular source of healthcare and seek healthcare in the absence of the free community clinic. Subjects with a regular source of healthcare were significantly more likely to seek healthcare in the absence of the free community clinic. Emergency room utilization was not impacted by regular source of healthcare or health insurance. This study supports the need for free community clinics in areas with high percentages of uninsured, immigrant, and refugee populations.

Decentralized Health Service Delivery System in Bangladesh: Evaluating Community Clinics in Promoting Healthcare for the Rural Poor

“…In line with this study finding, Jana & Harata wrote that the rural poor visit the community clinics for treatment because they are provided medicine and treatment free of cost (Jana & Harata, 2016). Besides, migrant poor, less educated, and ethnic minorities are the prime seekers of CC because of face time, transportation, and cost of treatment (Douangmala et al, 2012;O'Malley & Mandelblatt, 2003). The quality of services and equal access to community clinics are mostly affected by both demand and supply-side factors (Hamid et al, 2005).…”

Role of community health outreach program “living for health”® in improving access to federally qualified health centers in Miami-dade county, Florida: a cross-sectional study

“…They collected the data on participants’ insurance status and access of care, reporting 34.4% of uninsured had no usual source of medical care, 25.8% had no doctor visit in the last year and over 81% reported no specialist visit in the last year [ 6 ]. It is worth-mentioning that lack of primary care can result in increased emergency room use and increased health care costs [ 7 , 8 ].…”

“…The United States federal government recognizes the importance of promoting utilization of FQHC by the uninsured and underinsured which is exemplified by the provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on improving access to FQHC [ 9 , 10 ]. Several studies have shown that community health centers including FQHCs save the health system millions of dollars partly by reducing unnecessary emergency visits of the uninsured and underinsured [ 7 , 11 ]. Therefore evaluating efficiency of FQHCs patients’ outreach and identifying barriers to their utilization can aid in optimizing access to care in vulnerable communities.…”

“…This is broadly influenced by societal factors, health services-related factors and individual factors [ 12 ]. Certain barriers have been described in the literature including lack of health insurance [ 7 ], perceived complexities in healthcare system navigation and payer status, fear of deportation among undocumented residents, limited hours of FQHC operation, limited walk-in hours, and long wait times [ 8 , 13 ]. Lack of sufficient enabling services including transportation, translation, on-site child-care, and case management were also frequently mentioned reasons for lack of accessibility [ 8 , 13 , 14 ].…”

Cultivation and Implementation of Community-Engaged Pharmacy Services in a Free Clinic to Enhance Care for the Medically Underserved

“…8 These clinics have been shown to provide costeffective and efficient care matching or exceeding the quality of care provided to insured populations and decreases emergency department visits and hospitalizations. [9][10][11] A promising avenue to supplement free clinics in meeting the challenges of providing care for uninsured patients is to build relationships and promote collaboration between community free clinics and academic health centers.…”