Project Description
The purpose of this study is to assess the hospital utilization rates of inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department services for patients enrolled (and prior to enrollment) in a rural, free primary care clinic in Selma, AL, including the costs of the hospital services versus the primary care services provided in the free clinic. From the free clinic, the names, dates of birth and first clinic visit date from 170 unique uninsured patients who had an initial clinic visit between 2017 and 2018 were extracted. The data from the free clinic was cross-referenced with data from the local hospital (inpatient visits, outpatient visits, and emergency department [ED] visits). The data that we have collected shows that patients of the free clinic (n=170) utilized the hospital’s ED less than they did prior to being seen at the free clinic. This evidence speaks the fact that when underserved populations have autonomous access to primary care, ED overcrowding and overutilization for ambulatory conditions decreases significantly.
posters, PRESENTATIONS, & Publications
The Impact of a Family Medicine Residency Program's Rural, Free Primary Care Clinic on Hospital Utilization & Costs |