Health care contact days among older adults in Traditional Medicare

Health care contact days among older adults in Traditional Medicare
Annals of Internal Medicine, by Ishani Ganguli, MD, MPH; Emma D. Chant, PhD; E. John Orav, PhD; Ateev Mehrotra, MD, MPH; Christine S. Ritchie, MD, MSPH; 1/23/24
Days spent obtaining health care outside the home can represent not only access to needed care but also substantial time, effort, and cost, especially for older adults and their care partners. Yet, these “health care contact days” have not been characterized. On average, older adults spent 3 weeks in the year getting care outside the home. These contact days were mostly ambulatory and varied widely not only by number of chronic conditions but also by sociodemographic factors, geography, and care-seeking behaviors.
Publisher's note: Also see Healthcare contact days among older adults living with dementia.