Using Administrative Data To Monitor Access, Identify Disparities, and Assess Performance of the Safety Net: Figure 7

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Figure 7. Ambulatory Care Sensitive Admissions per 1,000 Population by ZIP Code Area Income, New York City, Ages 18-64, 2000

Scatter diagram of ZIP codes areas, with Percent of Households With Incomes Less Than $15,000 on one axis and Admissions per 1,000 Population on the other axis. Go to Text Description [D] for details.

Key: Each square represents a ZIP code area.

[D] Scatter diagram of ZIP codes areas, with Percent of Households With Incomes Less Than $15,000 on one axis and Admissions per 1,000 Population on the other axis.

Examining ZIP code-level data often illustrates another important point: outcomes and safety net performance can differ substantially within a community, even among neighborhoods with similar levels of poverty. In Figure 7, ACS rates for adults in New York City show a strong association with area income (R2 = .613), but there are also large differences among low-income ZIP codes. The ACS rate for ZIP code 10035 in East Harlem is more than 3 times higher than ZIP code 11239 in Brooklyn, despite similar area income levels. Both areas have substantial black populations, and East Harlem also has a large Hispanic population. While these data cannot explain the cause of higher rates in East Harlem, they can help policymakers better understand the causes of these differences and to target potential interventions more effectively.

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