AJPH
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

AJPH First Look, published online ahead of print Oct 27, 2005
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
AJPH.2004.061127v2
95/12/2246    most recent
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Purchase Article
Right arrow View Shopping Cart
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Long, J. A.
Right arrow Articles by Metlay, J. P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Long, J. A.
Right arrow Articles by Metlay, J. P.
©
American Journal of Public Health, 10.2105/AJPH.2004.061127

Research and Practice

Changes in Veterans' Use of Outpatient Care From 1992 to 2000

Judith A. Long 1*, Daniel Polsky 2, Joshua P. Metlay 3

1 Philadelphia VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion
2 Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
3 Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, Philadelphia, PA

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jalong{at}mail.med.upenn.edu.


  Abstract

Objectives. During the mid-1990s, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) reorganized and placed greater emphasis on high-quality primary care. To determine whether the reorganization was associated with changes in patterns of outpatient VHA use, we sought to evaluate changes in characteristics of veterans who use VHA outpatient services between 1992 and 2000.

Methods. We merged 2 waves of the National Survey of Veterans to determine changes in patterns of outpatient care use. We evaluated the extent to which veterans who received outpatient care received that care from the VHA.

Results. The odds ratio for VHA-only outpatient care relative to non-VHA-only care in 2000 relative to 1992 was 1.75 (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.51, 2.04), and the odds ratio for dual relative to non-VHA-only care was 1.22 (95% CI=1.08, 1.37). Veterans who were older, had low incomes, and had no additional health insurance coverage were most likely to increase their use of VHA outpatient care.

Conclusions. Our results suggest that the VHA is increasingly serving veterans who have trouble accessing the private health care system.

Key Words: Health Care Facilities/Services, Insurance, Health Service Delivery, Socioeconomic Factors, Surveys




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Arch Intern MedHome page
J. S. Ross, S. Keyhani, P. S. Keenan, S. M. Bernheim, J. D. Penrod, K. S. Boockvar, A. D. Federman, H. M. Krumholz, and A. L. Siu
Use of Recommended Ambulatory Care Services: Is the Veterans Affairs Quality Gap Narrowing?
Arch Intern Med, May 12, 2008; 168(9): 950 - 958.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ANN INTERN MEDHome page
American College of Physicians
Achieving a High-Performance Health Care System with Universal Access: What the United States Can Learn from Other Countries
Ann Intern Med, January 1, 2008; 148(1): 55 - 75.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. Public HealthHome page
S. A. Simpson
SAFETY NET LESSONS FROM THE VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
Am J Public Health, June 1, 2006; 96(6): 956 - 956.
[Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
Copyright © 2005 by the American Public Health Association