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Urgent Care Utilization in a Pediatric Population With Private Health Insurance
Insights
Pediatric urgent care (UC) visits are common for young children with low-severity illnesses like fever. Many UC visits occur during regular practice hours, and antibiotic overprescribing is a concern.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric healthcare utilization
- Urgent care medicine
- Health services research
Background:
- Limited data exists on pediatric urgent care (UC) utilization among privately insured populations.
- Understanding these patterns is crucial for optimizing healthcare delivery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the utilization patterns of pediatric urgent care services.
- To examine patient demographics, visit reasons, and treatment outcomes for privately insured children.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective review of 325 charts from a suburban pediatric primary care practice.
- Descriptive statistical analysis of UC visit data.
Main Results:
- Most UC visits involved children under 6 years old (59.7%) with fever (12.2%) and low-severity illness (57.8%).
- 70% of visits occurred during weekday office hours. Diagnostic tests were performed in 67.4% of cases, and 42.2% received antibiotics.
Conclusions:
- Caregiver education on low-acuity conditions and improved primary care access for urgent visits are recommended.
- Pediatric UC may contribute to antibiotic overprescribing compared to national averages.
Introduction:
Pediatric urgent care (UC) utilization patterns have been studied in Medicaid enrollees, but not in those with private insurance.
Methods:
Utilization patterns of UC at a suburban pediatric primary care practice with patients with private health insurance were reviewed. Descriptive data were obtained.
Results:
Three hundred twenty-five charts were reviewed. Most UC visits were for children under 6 years of age (59.7%), a diagnosis of fever (12.2%), and with low severity illness (57.8%). Seventy percent occurred during weekdays and during times when the primary care practice was open. Most children (67.4%) had a diagnostic test performed at UC and 42.2% received a prescription for antibiotics.
Discussion:
Primary care providers should target caregiver education on low acuity conditions and consider process improvements to accommodate urgent visits. While pediatric UC benchmarks are needed, data suggests that general UCs are at risk for overprescribing antibiotics compared to national ambulatory averages.
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