The latest Quarterly Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Report from the Agency for Health Care Administration showed Region 1, which covers the panhandle from Panama City to Pensacola, led the state in the highest number of potentially preventable emergency department visits (PPV).
PPVs are emergency department visits that may result from a failure to access primary care or a lack of ambulatory care coordination. Upper respiratory infections and abdominal pain were among the top three conditions contributing to a PPV.
See report.
We measure costs for healthcare delivery but ignore the healthcare CEO earning $10,000 per hour or the pharma company raising a single dosage of medicine from $13.50 to $750. Giving patients “Hang in there” (placebo) and assembly-line medicine managed by bean counters only goes so far. Didn’t see comparison to events like “red flag days” (poor air quality) not under patient control which likely increases need for emergency care. Absent holistic approach what exactly are we measuring?