Hospitalizations-ambulatory-care-sensitive-conditions

INDICATOR NAME

Name

Rate of hospitalization for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions (ACSCs)

Alternate Name

Hospitalization rate for conditions that can be managed outside hospital

INDICATOR DESCRIPTION

Description

This indicator measures the rate of hospitalization, per 100,000 people aged 0 to 74 years, for one of the following conditions that, if effectively managed or treated earlier, may not have resulted in admission to hospital: asthma, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, hypertension, angina and epilepsy. A lower rate is better.

HQO Reporting tool/product

Public reporting

Dimension

Efficient

Type

Outcome

DEFINITION AND SOURCE INFORMATION

Unit of Measurement

Rate per 100,000 people

Calculation Methods

This indicator is calculated as the numerator divided by the denominator per 100,000 population

Numerator (short description i.e. not inclusions/exclusions)

The number of inpatient records from acute care hospitals during each fiscal year with any ambulatory care sensitive condition (ACSC) as the most responsible diagnosis

Denominator (short description i.e. not inclusions/exclusions)

The number of people in Ontario aged 0 to 74 years

Adjustment (risk, age/sex standardization)- generalized

Age and sex standardized

Data Source

Discharge Abstract Database (DAD), Registered Persons Database (RPDB)

Data provided to HQO by

Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES)

Reported Levels of comparability /stratifications (defined)

Income, Institution, Region, Rurality, Time

OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION

Caveats and Limitations

This indicator is affected by the health status of the population, since a healthier population will have fewer hospitalizations overall. For example, a population with fewer smokers is likely to have fewer people with lung disease that may require hospitalization.