Table 1.
Characteristics of Cohort With and Without Hospitalization for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Condition (H-ACSC) in 2013
| All* | H-ACSC† | No H-ACSC | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 69,710 | n = 2026 | n = 67,684 | ||
| Age | Mean (SD) | 62.6 (14.5) | 73.2 (11.4) | 62.3 (14.5) |
| Sex (%) | Male | 92.7 | 97.1 | 92.6 |
| Married (%) | 52.2 | 55.9 | 52.2 | |
| Race (%) | White | 70.3 | 74.4 | 70.1 |
| Black | 14.6 | 12.5 | 14.7 | |
| Latino/Hispanic | 7.2 | 3.3 | 7.3 | |
| Other races | 7.9 | 9.8 | 7.9 | |
| Education level (%) | Unknown | 1.0 | 2.1 | 1.0 |
| 8th grade or less | 2.5 | 5.4 | 2.4 | |
| Some high school | 6.4 | 13.3 | 6.2 | |
| High school graduate or GED | 30.9 | 32.7 | 30.8 | |
| Some college | 40.1 | 32.7 | 40.3 | |
| 4-year college graduate | 9.9 | 7.0 | 9.9 | |
| More than 4-year college degree | 9.3 | 6.8 | 9.4 | |
| Gagne comorbidity index | Mean (SD) | 0.63 (1.55) | 1.97(2.15) | 0.60(1.52) |
| Comorbidities, FY 2012 (%) | Heart failure | 5.6 | 24.4 | 5.2 |
| Renal failure | 7.5 | 21.1 | 7.2 | |
| COPD | 16.0 | 39.5 | 15.4 | |
| Complicated diabetes | 7.8 | 18.1 | 7.6 | |
| Behavioral health diagnoses | Depression‡ (%) | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.3 |
| Drug abuse‡ | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | |
| PTSD | 20.9 | 14.9 | 21.0 | |
| Primary care use in 2011§ (%) | 0–1 visit | 23.3 | 18.4 | 23.4 |
| 2–4 visits | 43.0 | 36.7 | 43.1 | |
| 5 or more visits | 33.7 | 44.8 | 33.5 | |
| Copayment status (%) | Copay exempt | 89.2 | 89.3 | 89.2 |
| Clinic type (%) | CBOC | 49.7 | 51.8 | 49.7 |
| Residence location¶ (%) | Urban | 61.4 | 59.1 | 61.5 |
| Rural | 34.6 | 37.5 | 34.5 | |
| Highly rural | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.1 | |
| Distance to VHA facility# (%) | < 5 miles | 30.3 | 29.5 | 30.3 |
| 5–9.9 | 25.0 | 25.3 | 25.0 | |
| 10–20 | 24.2 | 23.0 | 24.3 | |
| 20–40 | 17.6 | 19.5 | 17.6 | |
| 40+ | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.8 | |
| County-level economics | Unemployment rate, mean (SD) | 9.2 (2.5) | 9.4 (2.6) | 9.2(2.5) |
| Poverty area** (%) | 20.2 | 21.3 | 20.2 | |
*Study sample includes veterans answering one of 5 access questions in the SHEP-PCMH; †H-ACSC, hospitalization for overall composite conditions as defined by AHRQ Quality Indicators, version 4.5; ‡Elixhauser definitions; §visits recorded to VHA primary care provider; ¶VHA rurality definitions base upon residence ZIP code using RUCA designation; #straight line distance from centroid ZIP code; **poverty area as defined as greater than 20% of population in county of residence living below the federal poverty level; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); community-based outpatient clinic (CBOC); all estimates were weighted to the FY2012 VHA primary care population