A prospective examination of high-cost health services utilization among drug using prisoners reentering the community

The use of health services by prisoners during their incarceration and after their return to the community impacts the U.S. health care system and health care costs associated with this system. These health care costs are expected to increase over the next decade as more prisoners return to their co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of behavioral health services & research 2006-01, Vol.33 (1), p.73-85
Main Authors: Leukefeld, Carl G, Hiller, Matthew L, Webster, J Matthew, Tindall, Michele Staton, Martin, Steven S, Duvall, Jamieson, Tolbert, Valerie E, Garrity, Thomas F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accident and emergency departments
Adult
Ex-prisoners
Health costs
Helpseeking
Hospitalization
Humans
Male
Prisoners
Prospective Studies
Substance Abuse Treatment Centers - economics
Substance Abuse Treatment Centers - utilization
Substance abusers
United States
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Summary:The use of health services by prisoners during their incarceration and after their return to the community impacts the U.S. health care system and health care costs associated with this system. These health care costs are expected to increase over the next decade as more prisoners return to their communities. The current study prospectively examines the use of high-cost health care services-emergency room visits and hospitalizations-among 565 male drug-abusing prisoners about 1 year after prison release. A series of structural equation models were used to examine predisposing factors, including health status and drug use, and to estimate the frequency of high-cost health service utilization. As expected, health status was the most robust predictor of high-cost health services. However, the finding that drug abuse had nonsignificant relationships with high-cost health services utilization was not expected. Discussion focuses on health care service issues and health problems as prisoners' transition from prison to the community.
ISSN:1094-3412
1556-3308
DOI:10.1007/s11414-005-9006-y