Biomaterial Database

The effect of duration of membership in a prepaid group health plan on the utilization of services. 1976

C E Yesalis, and P D Bonnet

This study concerns the changes in the use of medical care services as the duration of membership in a prepaid group plan increases. For each of ten cohorts of members of the prepaid group practice in Columbia, Maryland, the use of provider visits (for both "well" care and "problem-oriented" care), of inpatient hospital services, and of prescribed drugs were determined, and time trends for each type of service were developed. The rate of total provider visits (TPV's per member) and the proportion of "well" care visits declined during the first year of membership and were followed by stabilization during the second year in the Plan. Because of large variations in hospital days, but only a small total number of hospital days, no association between hospital use and duration of membership could be shown. The rate of new prescriptions filled (NPF's) also decreased as length of time in the Plan increased.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008396	Maryland	A state bounded on the north by Pennsylvania, on the east by Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Virginia and West Virginia, and on the west by West Virginia.
D011307	Drug Prescriptions	Directions written for the obtaining and use of DRUGS.	Drug Prescribing,Drug Prescription,Drug Prescribings,Prescribing, Drug,Prescribings, Drug
D011314	Preventive Health Services	Services designed for HEALTH PROMOTION.	Health Services, Preventive,Preventive Health,Preventive Health Care,Preventive Health Programs,Preventive Programs,Services, Preventive Health,Care, Preventive Health,Health Care, Preventive,Health Program, Preventive,Health Programs, Preventive,Health Service, Preventive,Health, Preventive,Preventive Health Program,Preventive Health Service,Preventive Program,Program, Preventive,Program, Preventive Health,Programs, Preventive,Programs, Preventive Health,Service, Preventive Health
D004363	Drug Utilization	The utilization of drugs as reported in individual hospital studies, FDA studies, marketing, or consumption, etc. This includes drug stockpiling, and patient drug profiles.	Utilization, Drug,Drug Utilizations,Utilizations, Drug
D006279	Health Maintenance Organizations	Organized systems for providing comprehensive prepaid health care that have five basic attributes: (1) provide care in a defined geographic area; (2) provide or ensure delivery of an agreed-upon set of basic and supplemental health maintenance and treatment services; (3) provide care to a voluntarily enrolled group of persons; (4) require their enrollees to use the services of designated providers; and (5) receive reimbursement through a predetermined, fixed, periodic prepayment made by the enrollee without regard to the degree of services provided. (From Facts on File Dictionary of Health Care Management, 1988)	Group Health Organizations, Prepaid,HMO,Prepaid Group Health Organizations,Health Maintenance Organization,Organizations, Health Maintenance,Organization, Health Maintenance
D006296	Health Services	Services for the diagnosis and treatment of disease and the maintenance of health.	Services, Health,Health Service
D006760	Hospitalization	The confinement of a patient in a hospital.	Hospitalizations
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man