Using administrative data to track fall-related ambulatory care services in the Veterans Administration Healthcare system

Stephen L. Luther; Dustin D. French; Gail Powell-Cope; Laurence Z. Rubenstein; Robert Campbell

doi:10.1007/BF03324631

Using administrative data to track fall-related ambulatory care services in the Veterans Administration Healthcare system

Stephen L. Luther^*, Dustin D. French, Gail Powell-Cope, Laurence Z. Rubenstein, Robert Campbell

^*Corresponding author for this work

Ophthalmology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background and aims: The Veterans Administration (VA) Healthcare system, containing hospital and community-based outpatient clinics, provides the setting for the study. Summary data was obtained from the VA Ambulatory Events Database for fiscal years (FY) 1997-2001 and in-depth data for FY 2001. In FY 2001, the database included approximately 4 million unique patients with 60 million encounters. The purpose of this study was: 1) to quantify injuries and use of services associated with falls among the elderly treated in Veterans Administration (VA) ambulatory care settings using administrative data; 2) to compare fall-related services provided to elderly veterans with those provided to younger veterans. Methods: Retrospective analysis of administrative data. This study describes the trends (FY 1997-2001) and patterns of fall-related ambulatory care encounters (FY 2001) in the VA Healthcare System. Results: An approximately four-fold increase in both encounters and patients seen was observed in FY 1997-2001, largely paralleling the growth of VA ambulatory care services. More than two-thirds of the patients treated were found to be over the age of 65. Veterans over the age of 65 were found to be more likely to receive care in the non-urgent setting and had higher numbers of co-morbid conditions than younger veterans. While nearly half of the encounters occurred in the Emergency/Urgent Care setting, fall-related injuries led to services across a wide spectrum of medical and surgical providers/departments. Conclusions: This study represents the first attempt to use the VA Ambulatory Events Database to study fall-related services provided to elderly veterans. In view of the aging population served by the VA and the movement to provide increased services in the outpatient setting, this database provides an important resource for researchers and administrators interested in the prevention and treatment of fall-related injuries.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	412-418
Number of pages	7
Journal	Aging Clinical and Experimental Research
Volume	17
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03324631
State	Published - Oct 2005

Funding

The research reported here was supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA), VISN 8 Patient Safety Center of Inquiry. Further support was provided by the James A. Haley Veterans Medical Center in Tampa, Florida. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Keywords

Administrative data
Ambulatory care
Elderly
Falls
Veterans Health Administration

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Aging
Geriatrics and Gerontology

Access to Document

10.1007/BF03324631

Cite this

@article{29624e06992b4ec8b8ce844867b48885,

title = "Using administrative data to track fall-related ambulatory care services in the Veterans Administration Healthcare system",

abstract = "Background and aims: The Veterans Administration (VA) Healthcare system, containing hospital and community-based outpatient clinics, provides the setting for the study. Summary data was obtained from the VA Ambulatory Events Database for fiscal years (FY) 1997-2001 and in-depth data for FY 2001. In FY 2001, the database included approximately 4 million unique patients with 60 million encounters. The purpose of this study was: 1) to quantify injuries and use of services associated with falls among the elderly treated in Veterans Administration (VA) ambulatory care settings using administrative data; 2) to compare fall-related services provided to elderly veterans with those provided to younger veterans. Methods: Retrospective analysis of administrative data. This study describes the trends (FY 1997-2001) and patterns of fall-related ambulatory care encounters (FY 2001) in the VA Healthcare System. Results: An approximately four-fold increase in both encounters and patients seen was observed in FY 1997-2001, largely paralleling the growth of VA ambulatory care services. More than two-thirds of the patients treated were found to be over the age of 65. Veterans over the age of 65 were found to be more likely to receive care in the non-urgent setting and had higher numbers of co-morbid conditions than younger veterans. While nearly half of the encounters occurred in the Emergency/Urgent Care setting, fall-related injuries led to services across a wide spectrum of medical and surgical providers/departments. Conclusions: This study represents the first attempt to use the VA Ambulatory Events Database to study fall-related services provided to elderly veterans. In view of the aging population served by the VA and the movement to provide increased services in the outpatient setting, this database provides an important resource for researchers and administrators interested in the prevention and treatment of fall-related injuries.",

keywords = "Administrative data, Ambulatory care, Elderly, Falls, Veterans Health Administration",

author = "Luther, \{Stephen L.\} and French, \{Dustin D.\} and Gail Powell-Cope and Rubenstein, \{Laurence Z.\} and Robert Campbell",

note = "Funding Information: The research reported here was supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA), VISN 8 Patient Safety Center of Inquiry. Further support was provided by the James A. Haley Veterans Medical Center in Tampa, Florida. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs.",

year = "2005",

month = oct,

doi = "10.1007/BF03324631",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "17",

pages = "412--418",

journal = "Aging Clinical and Experimental Research",

issn = "1594-0667",

publisher = "Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH",

number = "5",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Using administrative data to track fall-related ambulatory care services in the Veterans Administration Healthcare system

AU - Luther, Stephen L.

AU - French, Dustin D.

AU - Powell-Cope, Gail

AU - Rubenstein, Laurence Z.

AU - Campbell, Robert

N1 - Funding Information: The research reported here was supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA), VISN 8 Patient Safety Center of Inquiry. Further support was provided by the James A. Haley Veterans Medical Center in Tampa, Florida. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

PY - 2005/10

Y1 - 2005/10

N2 - Background and aims: The Veterans Administration (VA) Healthcare system, containing hospital and community-based outpatient clinics, provides the setting for the study. Summary data was obtained from the VA Ambulatory Events Database for fiscal years (FY) 1997-2001 and in-depth data for FY 2001. In FY 2001, the database included approximately 4 million unique patients with 60 million encounters. The purpose of this study was: 1) to quantify injuries and use of services associated with falls among the elderly treated in Veterans Administration (VA) ambulatory care settings using administrative data; 2) to compare fall-related services provided to elderly veterans with those provided to younger veterans. Methods: Retrospective analysis of administrative data. This study describes the trends (FY 1997-2001) and patterns of fall-related ambulatory care encounters (FY 2001) in the VA Healthcare System. Results: An approximately four-fold increase in both encounters and patients seen was observed in FY 1997-2001, largely paralleling the growth of VA ambulatory care services. More than two-thirds of the patients treated were found to be over the age of 65. Veterans over the age of 65 were found to be more likely to receive care in the non-urgent setting and had higher numbers of co-morbid conditions than younger veterans. While nearly half of the encounters occurred in the Emergency/Urgent Care setting, fall-related injuries led to services across a wide spectrum of medical and surgical providers/departments. Conclusions: This study represents the first attempt to use the VA Ambulatory Events Database to study fall-related services provided to elderly veterans. In view of the aging population served by the VA and the movement to provide increased services in the outpatient setting, this database provides an important resource for researchers and administrators interested in the prevention and treatment of fall-related injuries.

AB - Background and aims: The Veterans Administration (VA) Healthcare system, containing hospital and community-based outpatient clinics, provides the setting for the study. Summary data was obtained from the VA Ambulatory Events Database for fiscal years (FY) 1997-2001 and in-depth data for FY 2001. In FY 2001, the database included approximately 4 million unique patients with 60 million encounters. The purpose of this study was: 1) to quantify injuries and use of services associated with falls among the elderly treated in Veterans Administration (VA) ambulatory care settings using administrative data; 2) to compare fall-related services provided to elderly veterans with those provided to younger veterans. Methods: Retrospective analysis of administrative data. This study describes the trends (FY 1997-2001) and patterns of fall-related ambulatory care encounters (FY 2001) in the VA Healthcare System. Results: An approximately four-fold increase in both encounters and patients seen was observed in FY 1997-2001, largely paralleling the growth of VA ambulatory care services. More than two-thirds of the patients treated were found to be over the age of 65. Veterans over the age of 65 were found to be more likely to receive care in the non-urgent setting and had higher numbers of co-morbid conditions than younger veterans. While nearly half of the encounters occurred in the Emergency/Urgent Care setting, fall-related injuries led to services across a wide spectrum of medical and surgical providers/departments. Conclusions: This study represents the first attempt to use the VA Ambulatory Events Database to study fall-related services provided to elderly veterans. In view of the aging population served by the VA and the movement to provide increased services in the outpatient setting, this database provides an important resource for researchers and administrators interested in the prevention and treatment of fall-related injuries.

KW - Administrative data

KW - Ambulatory care

KW - Elderly

KW - Falls

KW - Veterans Health Administration

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33644842400&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33644842400&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/BF03324631

DO - 10.1007/BF03324631

M3 - Article

C2 - 16392417

AN - SCOPUS:33644842400

SN - 1594-0667

VL - 17

SP - 412

EP - 418

JO - Aging Clinical and Experimental Research

JF - Aging Clinical and Experimental Research

IS - 5

ER -

Using administrative data to track fall-related ambulatory care services in the Veterans Administration Healthcare system

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this