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UKnowledge > College of Public Health > Journal of Appalachian Health > Vol. 6 (2024) > Iss. 3

 

Corresponding Author

Michael Topmiller, PhD

mtopmiller@aafp.org

Author Affiliations

  1. Michael Topmiller, PhD: Senior researcher, The Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies, American Academy of Family Physicians (Washington DC); E-mail: topmillerm@aafp.org; ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3864-6507
  2. Peter J. Mallow, PhD: Chair, director, and associate professor, Department of Health Services Administration and Master of Health Services Administration Program, Xavier University (Cincinnati OH)
  3. Hoon Byun, PhD: Economist, The Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies, American Academy of Family Physicians, (Washington DC) ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0397-1913
  4. Mark Carrozza, MA: Director, HealthLandscape, The Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies, American Academy of Family Physicians, (Washington DC)
  5. Yalda Jabbarpour, MD: Director, The Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies, American Academy of Family Physicians, (Washington DC)

Author Area of Expertise

Michael Topmiller - geospatial analysis

Peter J. Mallow - health economics

Hoon Byun - health economics

Mark Carrozza - data visualization

Yalda Jabbarpour - primary care

Abstract

Introduction: Several studies have documented that higher rates of primary care physicians are associated with lower rates of preventable hospitalizations. Counties with higher rates of preventable hospitalizations are found in the Appalachian and Mississippi (MS) Delta Regions.

Purpose: (1) To determine if the association of primary care capacity with preventable hospitalizations is different in the Appalachian and MS Delta regions compared to the rest of the U.S., and (2) to explore primary care capacity in counties with lower-than-expected preventable hospitalization rates.

Methods: This study modeled preventable hospitalizations with primary care physicians (PCP) per 100,000 (PCP capacity) while controlling for several factors. A spatial regime variable was also included, which modeled Appalachian and MS Delta regions separately. Next, PCP capacity was removed from the model and a geospatial residual analysis was performed to identify geographic clusters of counties with lower-than-expected rates of preventable hospitalizations (bright spots). PCP capacity in bright spots was then compared to that in counties with higher-than-expected rates (cold spots).

Results: Higher PCP capacity was significantly associated with lower rates of preventable hospitalizations in the rest of U.S. model, though was not significant for the Appalachian or MS Delta models. The residual analysis showed that compared to counties with higher-than-expected rates (cold spots), counties with lower-than-expected rates (bright spots) had significantly higher PCP capacity, though not in the MS Delta region.

Implications: Consistent with previous literature, it was found that the factors associated with preventable hospitalizations vary by region, though the results are mixed when looking at the Appalachian and MS Delta regions separately. Future research should explore characteristics of bright spots within the Appalachian and MS Delta regions.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.13023/jah.0603.06

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Topmiller M, Mallow PJ, Byun H, Carrozza M, Jabbapour Y. The impact of primary care physician capacity on preventable hospitalizations: identifying bright spots in the Appalachian and Mississippi Delta Regions. J Appalach Health 2024;6(3):66-78. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13023/jah.0603.06

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