Predicting health care use among older osteoarthritis patients in an HMO

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Abstract
Objective. To determine factors that predict health care use among members of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs). Demographic, health, and psychological factors were examined simultaneously. Methods. Participants were HMO members 60 years of age or older who had osteoarthritis (OA). All participants reported symptoms of OA, with 90% of the diagnoses confirmed by evaluation of physician records. Results. Age, the presence of other medical conditions, quality of well-being, and the Health Worries subscale from the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales accounted for 11.2% of the total variance in health care contacts. A model including prior health care use, age, quality of well-being, physical impairment, and pain accounted for 29.5% of the variance in utilization rates. Conclusion. The best single predictor of health care utilization was prior use of the system. Being older, more impaired, and having lower well-being scores were also predictors of health care use.