New Data Track Pediatric Use of Urgent Care

A new report published in the Journal of Pediatrics reveals traits common to pediatric Medicaid patients who visit urgent care centers. Roughly 8% of the 2.7 million children under age 19 in the 2013 Marketscan Medicaid database had at least one urgent care visit. More common attributes among those included age 1-2 years and presence of a complex chronic condition.  “High” urgent care utilization was associated with five or more primary care visits for acute care and three or more emergency department visits, leading the authors to conclude that “even though those with higher urgent care utilization had more visits for acute care, patients continued to see their PCP for both well-child and acute care visits.”