The Latest Research, Commentary, And News From Health Affairs
Friday, April 16, 2021
Dear John, Urgent care centers divert low-acuity care—that is, care for patients with easily treatable conditions—away from expensive emergency rooms. But do they actually save the system money in the end?
The Hidden Costs Of Urgent Care
Centers
Urgent care centers provide convenient access to health care at a much lower per-visit cost than a trip to the emergency room. They’ve grown rapidly in the past decade as part of a larger strategy by public and private insurers to reduce spending.
Yet, some urgent care visits could increase the total cost to the health care system.
In a new article in our Considering Health
Spending series, Bill Wang and coauthors analyzed commercial claims data to examine the system costs associated with urgent care centers. They found that although the entry of urgent care deterred lower-acuity emergency department (ED) visits, the impact was small, estimating that thirty-seven additional urgent care center visits were associated with a reduction of a single lower-acuity ED visit. Read the study to learn why.
One of the paper’s coauthors, Ari B. Friedman, discussed these findings on last week’s episode ofA Health Podyssey.
On the final day of Black Maternal Health Week, read a new Health Affairs Blog post in which Joia A. Crear-Perry and coauthors argue that respectful maternal care can improve provider-patient relations and improve outcomes for Black people who give birth.
In another new post, Courtney Lyles and coauthors argue that, in the development and evaluation of new digital health products—especially those designed for people with high medical and/or social needs who face barriers to accessing care—collaboration between business and academia can help advance health equity.
Health Affairs is planning an upcoming issue on Racism and Health, with an emphasis on structural racism. To be published in February 2022, it will feature original research, analyses, commentaries, and personal narrative. The deadline to submit abstracts, May 3, is fast approaching. If you are thinking about submitting an abstract, join us next week for an informal, online Q&A session, "Tips for navigating our Request for Abstracts (RFA) process." The Q&A will be hosted by Health Equity Director Vabren Watts and Senior Editor Jessica Bylander. Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021 Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET Place: Online (meeting details will be emailed in advance)
Presenters to include:
Arturo Vargas Bustamante, Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health, and recent theme issue adviser for Health Affairs, will share his thoughts on what makes a successful abstract and his advice for someone hoping to publish in Health Affairs.
Please note: We encourage papers that represent cross-disciplinary efforts that bridge health and nonhealth sectors. In addition, we are seeking contributions from junior faculty; authors with lived experience of racism, including nonacademic community members; and authors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic-Serving Institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander–Serving Institutions. Health Affairs thanks the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Episcopal Health Foundation for their generous support of this
issue.
Listen to Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Jeff Byers talk about the latest data on hospital mergers and why Microsoft is acquiring the health tech firm Nuance Communications.
Health Affairs is the leading peer-reviewedjournalat the intersection of health, health care, and policy. Published monthly by
Project HOPE, the journal is available in print and online. Late-breaking content is also found through healthaffairs.org, Health Affairs Today, and Health Affairs Sunday Update.
Project HOPE is a global health and humanitarian relief organization that places power in the hands of local health care workers to save lives across the globe. Project HOPE has published Health Affairs since 1981.
