Check up before you check out: Retail clinics and emergency room use

Diane Alexander, Janet Currie and Molly Schnell

Journal of Public Economics, 2019, vol. 178, issue C

Abstract: Given concern about inefficient use of the emergency room (ER) increasing health care costs, we use all ER visits in New Jersey from 2006 to 2014 to examine the impacts of retail clinics on ER use in a difference-in-difference framework. We find that among people residing close to an open retail clinic, the rate of ER use falls by 3.3–13.4% for preventable conditions and 5.7–12.0% for minor acute conditions, while a range of placebo conditions are not affected. Our estimates suggest annual cost savings of nearly $70 million from reduced ER use if retail clinics were readily available across New Jersey.

Keywords: Retail clinics; Emergency room use; Preventive care; Health care access (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I11 I12 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Check Up Before You Check Out: Retail Clinics and Emergency Room Use (2017)
Working Paper: Check Up Before You Check Out: Retail Clinics and Emergency Room Use (2017)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:178:y:2019:i:c:s0047272719301112

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2019.104050

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