ArticleScientific reports2025
A regional analysis of healthcare utilization trends during consecutive disasters in puerto rico using private claims data.
Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Organizational resilience in Puerto Rico's primary care clinics: absorbing, adapting, and transforming under stress.Frontiers in health services · 2026Article
- From innovation to implementation: a case report on virtual reality for chronic pain and psychological well-being in clinical practice.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Exploring social, economic, and environmental correlates of suicide in Puerto Rico, 2017-2022: an ecological cross-sectional study.Injury epidemiology · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
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Abstract
Puerto Rico has endured multiple natural disasters in recent years, including Hurricanes Irma and Maria (2017), earthquakes (2019), and the COVID-19 pandemic (2020), which placed significant strain on its healthcare system. This study examined trends in health care utilization for injuries, infectious diseases, and mental health services across Puerto Rico's health regions from 2016 to 2022. Using private claims data from four major insurers, we analyzed trends in health care utilization rates per 1,000 beneficiaries across seven health regions. Infectious disease claims rose significantly following each disaster, with the sharpest increases observed post-2020, particularly in the Caguas region. Mental health and substance use claims exhibited a consistent upward trend across all health regions, with Caguas and Ponce reporting the largest increases. Injury claims declined in 2020 but rebounded in most regions by 2021, with Caguas consistently reporting the highest rates. These findings highlight the substantial and varied impacts of consecutive disasters on health care utilization in Puerto Rico, particularly for infectious diseases and mental health services. Notable regional disparities, such as higher utilization rates in Caguas, underscore the need for interventions to strengthen health system resilience and ensure equitable healthcare access in preparation for future disasters.
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