Mental health status and healthcare utilization among community dwelling older adults.

Background: Shifts in mental health utilization patterns are necessary to allow for meaningful access to care for vulnerable populations. There have been long standing issues in how mental health is provided, which has caused problems in that care being efficacious for those seeking it.

Aims: To assess the relationship between mental health status and healthcare utilization among adults ≥65 years.

The Diabetes Management Education Program in South Texas: An Economic and Clinical Impact Analysis.

Introduction: Diabetes is a major chronic disease that can lead to serious health problems and high healthcare costs without appropriate disease management and treatment. In the United States, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes and the cost for diabetes treatment has dramatically increased over time. To improve patients' self-management skills and clinical outcomes, diabetes management education (DME) programs have been developed and operated in various regions.

Psychological Distress and the Use of Clinical Preventive Services by Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

In this study, we explored whether psychological distress plays a role in the use of recommended clinical preventive services among community-dwelling older adults. The sample is drawn from respondents 65 years and older who participated in the 2011 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Logistic regressions with selected covariates were entered in the model to estimate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for the independent effect of psychological distress on the utilization of each of five preventive services.

Is diabetes color-blind? Growth of prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in children through 2030.

Diabetes knows no age and affects millions of individuals. Preventing diabetes in children is increasingly becoming a major health policy concern and focus. The objective of this study is to project the number of children, aged 0-17 years, with diagnosed diabetes in the United States through 2030, accounting for changing demography, and diabetes and obesity prevalence rates.

Discharge phone calls: a technique to improve patient care during the transition from hospital to home.

The discharge process is a transitional period when the patient's care is shifted from the hospital to the home and can be stressful for patients. One technique used to improve the quality and continuity of care is the discharge phone call (DPC). A large, metropolitan hospital implemented the DPC program to improve quality of care and decrease readmission rates.

When concealed handgun licensees break bad: criminal convictions of concealed handgun licensees in Texas, 2001-2009.

Objectives: We explored differences in criminal convictions between holders and nonholders of a concealed handgun license (CHL) in Texas.

Methods: The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) provides annual data on criminal convictions of holders and nonholders of CHLs. We used 2001 to 2009 DPS data to investigate the differences in the distribution of convictions for these 2 groups across 9 types of criminal offenses.