Health Care Utilization Patterns Among Adults With or Without Functional Disabilities

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Disability Studies
• Public Health

Background:

• Adults with functional disabilities have higher healthcare needs.
• Understanding their health service utilization is crucial for equitable care.
• Previous research has not fully clarified patterns of high- vs. low-value service use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate health care utilization patterns among US adults with varying degrees of functional disability.
• To compare the use of high-value and low-value health services between individuals with and without functional disabilities.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of the 2013-2021 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data.
• Inclusion of noninstitutionalized US civilians aged 18+.
• Functional disability assessed via self-reported difficulties (vision, hearing, memory, mobility, self-care, errands) categorized as none, moderate, or severe.

Main Results:

• Adults with functional disabilities, particularly severe, showed higher rates of outpatient visits and prescription fills compared to those without.
• Individuals with moderate/severe disabilities had increased use of both high-value (e.g., BP measurement) and low-value (e.g., benzodiazepines for depression) services.
• Conversely, moderate/severe disability groups utilized fewer high-value cancer screenings.

Conclusions:

• Functional disability is associated with increased overall health service utilization.
• Service accessibility, irrespective of clinical value, significantly impacts utilization among individuals with functional disabilities.
• Future interventions should consider both need and access barriers to optimize care for this population.