The Impact of Annual Preventive Visits on Long-Term Patient Outcomes

Date of Award

Spring 2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Healthcare Administration (DHA)

Committee Chair

Karen Lankisch

Committee Member

Fabienne Royale-Larkins

Committee Member

Tiffany Depriter

Abstract

National policies and state Medicaid programs have removed financial barriers and increased incentives to expand the utilization of preventive services in the U.S. However, utilization of annual preventive visits and other preventive services remains low for many populations. Numerous research studies have shown the short-term benefit of annual preventive visits that lead to higher utilization of other preventive services such as vaccinations and cancer and chronic disease screenings. The literature on the long-term benefits of annual preventive visits remains sparse and primarily focused on young children and Medicare-enrolled adults. This study aims to fill in part of that gap by analyzing the long-term health outcomes of annual preventive visit utilization for older children and working-age adults enrolled in Medicaid. Utilizing administrative enrollment and claims data, the researcher completed a propensity-score matched case-control study to determine the impact of annual preventive visits on acute care and emergency care utilization as well as total costs of care. The study found that utilization of annual preventive visits was associated with significantly lower acute inpatient care utilization. However, there was not a significant reduction in emergency care utilization or total costs of care among participants with annual preventive visit utilization versus those without it. This study provides evidence of the long-term benefits of annual preventive visit utilization among older children and working-age adults enrolled in Medicaid. Further research should continue exploring the benefits of preventive care for this population.

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