Date of Conferral

5-6-2025

Date of Award

May 2025

Degree

Doctor of Healthcare Administration (D.H.A.)

School

Management

Advisor

Cynthia Newell

Abstract

Across the United States, the utilization of the emergency department for nonemergent conditions has gained the attention of public health officials, hospital administrators, and policymakers. Care in the emergency department comes with negative factors such as overcrowding, increased wait times, patient dissatisfaction, and higher costs. Urgent care centers offer viable, cost-efficient options for nonemergent care. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the use of a pediatric urgent care center for nonemergent conditions in relation to race for patients that live within 5 miles of the pediatric urgent care center. The Anderson and Newman model of health service utilization guided the study. Retrospective data obtained from computerized billing indicated a total of 20,043 visits, with 13,240 recorded during the years 2017, 2018, and 2019. White patients accounted for 6,256 or 47.25%, and African American patients accounted for 1,808 or 13.66% of visits during these years. Zip codes were used to determine 5-mile proximity. The data were analyzed using chi-square statistical testing to evaluate the relationship between weighted and non-weighted variables. Results indicated a statistically significant difference in pediatric urgent care visits for nonemergent conditions based on the top five discharge diagnoses between White and African American patients (X2 = 49.669, p = < .001). Further research could determine pediatric urgent care use on a larger scale. Findings could inform initiatives for health care leaders to collaborate on measures to reduce health disparities and high costs in pediatric health care for nonemergent conditions.

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