Alcoholism, morbidity and care-seeking. The inpatient and ambulatory service utilization and associated illness experience of alcoholics and matched controls in a health maintenance organization.

摘要: The issue of whether outpatient treatment alcoholism is cost-advantageous, in the long run, for health maintenance organizations (HMOs) depends part on alcoholics represent a relatively heavy burden care delivery system. To clarify this issue, paper asks utilize HMO services at higher rates and different ways than do other members, experience more illnesses injuries associated with their service utilization. study subjects were alcoholics, identified during one year as new clients an HMO's counseling department, which houses component. Study matched controls basis sex, age, date enrollment, type membership family size. medical records provided data utilization morbidities three-year period. Alcoholics found to have utilized about 50 per cent all studied did controls. especially high utilizers expensive, inpatient services. Psychosocial problems classified accidents, poisonings violence much likely underlie alcoholics' hospitalizations, and, lesser extent, non-counseling utilization, was case Some tendency noted chronic be acute controls'