Preventable Emergency Department Visits of Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias During the COVID-19 Pandemic by Hospital-Based Health Information Exchange

Abstract

Background: This study examined the relationship between hospital-based electronic health information exchange (HIE) and the likelihood of having a preventable emergency department (ED) visit during the COVID-19 pandemic for US patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). Methods : We used multi-level data from six states. The linked data sets included the 2020 State Emergency Department Databases (SEDD), the Area Health Resources File, the American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey, and the AHA Information Technology Supplement to study 85,261 hospital discharges from patients with ADRD. Logistic regression models were produced to determine the odds of having a preventable ED visit among patients with ADRD. Results : Our final sample included 85,261 hospital discharges from patients with ADRD. Patients treated in hospitals that received more types of clinical information for treating patients with COVID-19 from outside providers ( OR = 0.961, p < .05) and/or hospitals that received COVID-19 test results from more outside entities were significantly less likely to encounter preventable EDs ( OR = 0.964, p < .05), especially among patients who also had multiple chronic conditions (MCC) ( OR = 0.89, p = .001; OR = 0.856, p < .001). Conclusion : Our results suggest that electronic HIE may be useful for reducing preventable ED visits during the COVID-19 pandemic for people with ADRD and ADRD alongside MCC.