Medical care
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Chronic medical illness, depression, and use of acute medical services among Medicare beneficiaries.
This study assessed the relation of comorbid depressive syndrome with utilization of emergency department services and preventable inpatient hospitalizations among elderly individuals with chronic medical conditions. ⋯ For elderly individuals with at least 1 chronic medical condition, the presence of a depressive syndrome increased the odds of acute medical service use, suggesting that improvements in clinical management, access to mental health services, and coordination of medical and mental health services could reduce utilization.