Medical Intervention Access

Medical Interventions Access are health determinants that impact patients health.

Behavioral Health Access

• Shortage of Psychiatrists Leads Patients to Costly ER, Hospitalization (5/23/17)
• Suicide rate in America has risen by 24% in the last 15 years associated with a significant reduction in the numbers of psychiatric beds available. (12/28/16)
• Scarcity Of Mental Health Care Means Patients — Especially Kids — Land In ER (10/17/16)
• Suicidal patients often wait hours for hospital beds (9/20/16)
• Number of psychiatric beds in US down 13% from 2010. (8/2/16)
• Population Of US Practicing Psychiatrists Declined, 2003–13, Which May Help Explain Poor Access To Mental Health Care (7/2016)
• The troubling deficiencies in our mental health system (7/4/14)
• 4 Ways to Reach Out for Mental Health Help Anonymously (5/1/14)

Medical Care Access

• High-need adults faced significant barriers accessing needed care in many states. In Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, North Carolina, and South Carolina, for example, 40 percent or more of high-need adults reported not seeing a doctor when needed or not filling a prescription because of cost. (8/7/17)
• In a survey of high-need patients (2 or more major chronic conditions like heart failure, stroke or diabetes requiring insulin, among other factors), 19% used the ED instead of a physician's office or a clinic, 44% delayed care in the past year because of inhibited access. 22% reported a lack of transportation as a reason for delaying care. 95% have a regular physician or place of care, only 35% said it was somewhat or very easy to get medical care after hours without visiting an ED, compared to 53% of other adults (12/9/16)
• Access to medical care in the evenings and on weekends. 32% of doctors say they see patients in person and only 58% say they provide advice by telephone 24/7. Only 38% of patients say they can obtain medical advice by telephone during off-hours. 2% of patients are able to engage in a video visit with their physicians. (7/7/16)