Are patients at Veterans Affairs medical centers sicker? A comparative analysis of health status and medical resource use.

摘要: Background The Veterans Affairs (VA) health system has been criticized for being inefficient based on comparisons of VA care with non-VA care. Whether such are biased by differences between the patient population and is not known. Our objective to determine if patients different from in terms status medical resource use. Method We analyzed 128,099 records National Health Interview Survey years 1993 1994. compared general self report status, number conditions, outpatient physician visits, hospital admissions, days each year. Results had poorer (odds ratio [OR], 14.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 10.7-20.2), more conditions (OR, 14; CI, 10.5-18.7), higher use 3.7 3 or visits per year; OR 5.4 admissions OR, 7.7 21 spent a year). However, after controlling sociodemographic differences, similar population. Conclusion Large subsequent exist Therefore, need take these into account. Furthermore, planning allocation within should be data extrapolated populations.