SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions Encountered by a Homeless Healthcare Team

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This study examined ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs) among adults treated by the UCLA Homeless Healthcare Collaborative, a field-based team serving people experiencing homelessness (PEH) in Los Angeles. ACSCs are conditions that can often be prevented from worsening with timely outpatient care and may otherwise lead to avoidable hospitalizations.<br /><br />Using electronic health record data from January 2022 to August 2023, the cross-sectional study analyzed 5,520 encounters among 3,226 unique patients. ACSCs were identified in 1,034 encounters, representing a prevalence of 30.9%. The most common ACSCs were hypertension, cellulitis, diabetes, asthma, and COPD. In addition, 1,102 medications were dispensed to treat ACSCs, including common treatments such as amlodipine, cephalexin, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, metformin, and lisinopril.<br /><br />Overall, ACSCs were more common among older patients. In adjusted analyses, the odds of an encounter involving an ACSC increased with age, and non-Hispanic Black patients had significantly higher odds of ACSC encounters compared with non-Hispanic White patients. Gender and Hispanic ethnicity were not significantly associated with ACSC encounters.<br /><br />The findings suggest that ACSCs are frequently encountered by homeless healthcare teams and may represent an important opportunity for early treatment and prevention of hospitalization among PEH. The authors argue that similar patterns are likely present in other homeless outreach settings and that field-based care may help reduce acute care utilization by identifying and managing these conditions sooner. Further research is underway to determine whether encounters with the homeless healthcare team are associated with fewer hospitalizations.

Asset Subtitle

Evan M. Shannon

Meta Tag

Author List Brian Zunner-Keating, Catherine Weaver, Evan M. Shannon, Marjan Javanbakht, Medell Briggs-Malonson, Sae Takada, Un Young Chung

Category Research

Concept Ambulatory Care Sensitive Condition

Concept Homeless Healthcare Team

Concept Hospitalization

Concept Outpatient Care

Distinguished Finalist

Presenter Organization Dgsom Gim&hsr

Presenting Author Evan M. Shannon

Track Transitions of Care

Keywords

ambulatory care sensitive conditions

homeless healthcare

people experiencing homelessness

Los Angeles

UCLA Homeless Healthcare Collaborative

cross-sectional study

electronic health records

hypertension

cellulitis

hospitalization prevention

Ambulatory Care Sensitive Condition

Homeless Healthcare Team

Hospitalization

Outpatient Care