Donna Biederman, associate professor, and Christian Douglas, consulting associate, contribute to "Eviction as a Disruptive Factor in Health Care Utilization: Impact on Hospital Readmissions and No-show Rates" in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. Peter Callejo-Black, School of Medicine alum, and Mina Silberberg, of Duke School of Medicine, are the article's other authors. 

Abstract

Background. Residential eviction is a component of housing instability that negatively affects physical and mental health, but the effect of eviction on health care utilization, specifically hospital readmissions and outpatient no-show rates, is not known. Methods. We conducted a retrospective review of health care utilization of individuals evicted from public housing between January 2013 and December 2017, investigating hospital readmissions and no-show rates one year before and after eviction. Results. 131 individuals who had been evicted had one year of data pre-and post-eviction. The majority were African American (97.7%) and female (80.9%). There was no significant change in 30-, 60-, and 90-day hospital readmissions (p>.05). No-show rate decreased from 27.57 per person per year to 20.13 (p=.05). Conclusions. For our study population, health care utilization was not disrupted. The decreased no-show rate represents an opportunity for health systems to engage with patients on social factors affecting their health post-eviction.

Citation

Callejo-Black, P., Biederman, D., Douglas, C., & Silberberg, M. (2021). Eviction as a Disruptive Factor in Health Care Utilization: Impact on Hospital Readmissions and No-show Rates. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved 32(1), 386-396. https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/783116.