Abstract
Diabetes mellitus accounts for 5.8% of the total health care costs of citizens of the United States. Hospitalization expenses produce 40.5% of these costs. We sought to determine the public expenditure and major precipitators of admissions for uninsured diabetic hyperglycemic emergencies at a large public hospital. Of 247 diabetic emergency admissions over a 30 month period, 49% (n=121) of these patients had no medical insurance. The uninsured patients were younger and had relatively mild disease in comparison to the insured patients. These patients identified a primary physician in only 6% of the cases and had a higher incidence of admissions associated with lack of medications. We conclude that public funds to provide access to primary care and enhancement of employer-sponsored health insurance programs may decrease the numbers and costs of hospitalizations due to hyperglycemic emergencies in uninsured patients with diabetes mellitus.
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Wilson, B.E., Sharma, A. Public cost and access to primary care for hyperglycemic emergencies, clark county, Nevada. J Community Health 20, 249–256 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02260408
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02260408