Dataset Information

Uncovering Longitudinal Health Care Behaviors for Millions of Medicaid Enrollees: A Multistate Comparison of Pediatric Asthma Utilization.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:This study introduces a framework for analyzing and visualizing health care utilization for millions of children, with a focus on pediatric asthma, one of the major chronic respiratory conditions. METHODS:The data source is the 2005 to 2012 Medicaid Analytic Extract claims for 10 Southeast states. The study population consists of Medicaid-enrolled children with persistent asthma. We translate multiyear, individual-level medical claims into sequences of discrete utilization events, which are modeled using Markov renewal processes and model-based clustering. Network analysis is used to visualize utilization profiles. The method is general, allowing the study of other chronic conditions. RESULTS:The study population consists of 1.5 million children with persistent asthma. All states have profiles with high probability of asthma controller medication, as large as 60.6% to 90.2% of the state study population. The probability of consecutive asthma controller prescriptions ranges between 0.75 and 0.95. All states have utilization profiles with uncontrolled asthma with 4.5% to 22.9% of the state study population. The probability for controller medication is larger than for short-term medication after a physician visit but not after an emergency department (ED) visit or hospitalization. Transitions from ED or hospitalization generally have a lower probability into physician office (between 0.11 and 0.38) than into ED or hospitalization (between 0.20 and 0.59). CONCLUSIONS:In most profiles, children who take asthma controller medication do so regularly. Follow-up physician office visits after an ED encounter or hospitalization are observed at a low rate across all states. Finally, all states have a proportion of children who have uncontrolled asthma, meaning they do not take controller medication while they have severe outcomes.

SUBMITTER: Hilton R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5764816 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Uncovering Longitudinal Health Care Behaviors for Millions of Medicaid Enrollees: A Multistate Comparison of Pediatric Asthma Utilization.

Hilton Ross R Zheng Yuchen Y Fitzpatrick Anne A Serban Nicoleta N

Medical decision making : an international journal of the Society for Medical Decision Making 20171013 1

<h4>Background</h4>This study introduces a framework for analyzing and visualizing health care utilization for millions of children, with a focus on pediatric asthma, one of the major chronic respiratory conditions.<h4>Methods</h4>The data source is the 2005 to 2012 Medicaid Analytic Extract claims for 10 Southeast states. The study population consists of Medicaid-enrolled children with persistent asthma. We translate multiyear, individual-level medical claims into sequences of discrete utilizat ...[more]

PMID: 29029580

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Project description:ImportanceAsthma is the most common chronic condition of childhood. Hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits for asthma are more frequently experienced by minority children and adolescents and those with low socioeconomic status.ObjectiveTo reduce asthma-related hospitalizations and ED visits for Medicaid-insured pediatric patients residing in Hamilton County, Ohio.Design, setting, and participantsFrom January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2015, a multidisciplinary team used quality-improvement methods and the chronic care model to conduct interventions in inpatient, outpatient, and community settings in a large, urban academic pediatric hospital in Hamilton County, Ohio. Children and adolescents aged 2 to 17 years who resided in Hamilton County, had a diagnosis of asthma, and were Medicaid insured were studied.InterventionsInterventions were implemented in 3 phases: hospital-based inpatient care redesign, outpatient-based care enhancements, and community-based supports. Plan-do-study-act cycles allowed for small-scale implementation of change concepts and rapid evaluation of how such tests affected processes and outcomes of interest.Main outcomes and measuresThe study measured asthma-related hospitalizations and ED visits per 10 000 Medicaid-insured pediatric patients. Data were measured monthly on a rolling 12-month mean basis. Data from multiple previous years were used to establish a baseline. Data were tracked with annotated control charts and with interrupted time-series analysis.ResultsOf the estimated 36 000 children and adolescents with asthma in Hamilton County (approximately 13 000 of whom are Medicaid insured and 6000 of whom are cared for in Cincinnati Children's Hospital primary care practices), asthma-related hospitalizations decreased from 8.1 (95% CI, 7.7-8.5) to 4.7 (95% CI, 4.3-5.1) per 10 000 Medicaid patients per month by June 30, 2014, a 41.8% (95% CI, 41.7%-42.0%) relative reduction. Emergency department visits decreased from 21.5 (95% CI, 20.6-22.3) to 12.4 (95% CI, 11.5-13.2) per 10 000 Medicaid patients per month by June 30, 2014, a 42.4% (95% CI, 42.2%-42.6%) relative reduction. Improvements were sustained for the subsequent 12 months. The proportion of patients who were rehospitalized or had a return ED visit for asthma within 30 days of an index hospitalization was reduced from 12% to 7%. The proportion of patients with documented well-controlled asthma in this study's primary care population increased from 48% to 54%.Conclusions and relevanceAn integrated, multilevel approach focused on enhancing availability and accessibility of treatments, removing barriers to adherence, mitigating multidomain risks, augmenting self-management, and creating a collaborative relationship between the family and the health care system was associated with improved asthma outcomes for a population of Medicaid-insured pediatric patients. Similar models used in accountable care organizations or across patient panels and with other chronic conditions could be feasible and warrant evaluation.

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Dataset Information

Uncovering Longitudinal Health Care Behaviors for Millions of Medicaid Enrollees: A Multistate Comparison of Pediatric Asthma Utilization.

Publications

Uncovering Longitudinal Health Care Behaviors for Millions of Medicaid Enrollees: A Multistate Comparison of Pediatric Asthma Utilization.

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