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

Carl G. Leukefeld, Matthew L. Hiller, J. Matthew Webster, Michele Staton Tindall, Steven S. Martin, Jamieson Duvall, Valerie E. Tolbert, Thomas F. Garrity

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Scopus citations

Abstract

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.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)73-85
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Behavioral Health Services and Research
Volume33
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2006

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This study was supported by Grant R01 DA11309 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse; Carl G. Leukefeld, Principal Investigator; and by the staff and resources of the Center on Drug and Alcohol Research at the University of Kentucky. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the position of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Funding

This study was supported by Grant R01 DA11309 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse; Carl G. Leukefeld, Principal Investigator; and by the staff and resources of the Center on Drug and Alcohol Research at the University of Kentucky. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the position of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

FundersFunder number
Center for Drug and Alcohol Research
National Institute on Drug AbuseR01DA011309
University of Kentucky

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Health(social science)
    • Health Policy
    • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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