Preventable Hospitalizations During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Patients With Autism and Without Autism

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitalizations decreased due to the reallocation of health care resources to support pandemic mitigation efforts and social changes in risk exposure, including preventable hospitalizations for the escalation of conditions that could be better treated within primary care. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in and characteristics of preventable hospitalizations over the COVID-19 period for patients withand without autism using 2019 to 2021 data from the National Inpatient Sample. Overall counts of preventable hospitalizations decreased at the start of the pandemic across groups, while the proportion of hospitalizations that were preventable remained relatively stable. The proportion of hospitalizations that were preventable was higher for children and adults with autism than children and adults without autism, and this remained consistently elevated through out the study period. This study helps evaluate how disparities evolve under conditions of healthcare system stress, providing insight into the resilience and inclusiveness of crisis-era health system responses.