Preventable Hospitalizations 2008

This report offers insight into a critical area of health care quality—hospitalizations that may be preventable with adequate preventive care. These hospital admissions for conditions often referred to as ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs), can potentially be reduced with the timely and effective use of primary care. This report analyzes the 2008 Texas Hospital Inpatient Discharge Data for ACSCs and presents information that focuses on assessing the effectiveness of this care.

Hospitalizations may be prevented when clinicians diagnose, educate and treat patients in a timely and effective manner in outpatient settings, and when patients actively participate in their care and engage in healthy lifestyle behaviors. Higher rates of possibly preventable hospitalizations may identify areas where improvements can potentially be made in the quality of the health care system.