HHS' Measurement Project presents comprehensive data on U.S. healthcare systemby Ken TerryThe Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched a web-based tool that makes it easier to find detailed U.S. healthcare industry data. The Health System Measurement Project "will allow policymakers, providers and the public to develop consistent data-driven views of changes in critical U.S. health system indicators," according to an HHS announcement. The project combines datasets culled from a number of different federal agencies. The data spans topic areas such as access to care, cost and affordability, prevention and health information technology. It presents these indicators by population characteristics, such as age, sex, income level, insurance coverage and geography. This kind of data could help healthcare executives benchmark their institutions' performance. For example, they could use the HHS tool to track avoidable hospitalizations for adults and children by region or ethnic group. Population health data is also available on such conditions as smoking, obesity, HIV and low-birth-weight babies. Another excellent source of this kind of data is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Data & Statistics' website. That site includes a wealth of information about the prevalence and risk factors of different diseases, but does not cover the healthcare system in the way that the Measurement Project does. The Measurement Project also presents the latest statistics on physician and hospital EHR adoption and e-prescribing. More comprehensive data in this area is available on the new Health IT Dashboard from the Office of the National Coordinator of Health IT (ONC). To learn more:
Health, United States, 2011 with Special Feature on Socioeconomic Status and Health was released today at: www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus.htmHigher education and income levels keys to better health, according to annual report on nation's health People with higher levels of education and higher income have lower rates of many chronic diseases compared to those with less education and lower income levels, according to Health, United States, 2011 – the government’s annual comprehensive report on Americans’ health. Health, United States, 2011 is the 35th annual report prepared by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, and includes a compilation of health data through 2010 from a number of sources within the federal government and in the private sector. This year’s edition features a special section on socioeconomic status and health. Among the highlights: - In 2007-2010, higher levels of education among the head of household resulted in lower rates of obesity among boys and girls 2-19 years of age. In households where the head of household had less than a high school education, 24 percent of boys and 22 percent of girls were obese. In households where the head had a bachelor’s degree or higher, obesity prevalence was 11 percent for males aged 2-19 years and 7 percent for females.
- In 2007-2010, women 25 years of age and over with less than a bachelor’s degree were more likely to be obese (39 percent-43 percent) than those with a bachelor’s degree or higher (25 percent). Obesity prevalence among adult males did not vary consistently with level of education.
- In 2010, 31 percent of adults 25-64 years of age with a high school diploma or less education were current smokers, compared with 24 percent of adults with some college and 9 percent of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher. Overall, in the same year, 19 percent of U.S. adults age 18 and over were current cigarette smokers, a decline from 21 percent in 2009.
- Between 1996-2006, the gap in life expectancy at age 25 between those with less than a high school education and those with a bachelor’s degree or higher increased by 1.9 years for men and 2.8 years for women. On average in 2006, 25-year-old men without a high school diploma had a life expectancy 9.3 years less than those with a bachelor’s degree or higher. Women without a high school diploma had a life expectancy 8.6 years less than those with a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- Between 2000 and 2010, the percentage of children with a family income below 200 percent of poverty level who were uninsured decreased from 22 percent to 11 percent - 13 percent. The percentage with a family income at 200 percent to 399 percent of the poverty level who were uninsured decreased from 9 percent to 7 percent, and children with a family income at 400 percent of the poverty level who were uninsured decreased from 3 percent to 2 percent.
Other highlights from the report include: - In 2010, half of adults 18 years of age and over failed to meet both the aerobic activity and the muscle-strengthening federal physical activity recommendations. Older adults were less likely than younger adults to meet the federal physical activity recommendations – 39 percent of adults 18-24 years of age did not meet the recommendations versus 70 percent of adults aged 75 and over.
- The percentage of women 40 years of age and over who had a mammogram in the past two years remained steady at 67 percent to 70 percent during the 10-year period from 2000 to 2010. During the same period, the percentage of adults aged 50-75 years with a recent colorectal test or procedure increased from 34 percent to 59 percent.
A special abridged edition, Health, United States, 2011: In Brief is also available as a companion to the full report.
Pediatric Cancer Hospitalizations, 2009by Rebecca Anhang Price, Ph.D., Elizabeth Stranges, M.S., and Anne Elixhauser, Ph.D.The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 12,000 children under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer in 2012, and that more than 1,300 will die of the disease. Childhood cancer incidence rates have increased significantly since 1975. However, due to new and improved pediatric cancer treatments, cancer death rates among children have decreased over the last three decades. Continue reading...
New Federal Reports: Cardiac care is improving, yet overall health care quality and access continue to lag for many AmericansCardiac care has significantly improved in the United States, with minorities often receiving better quality cardiac care than whites, according to the newly released 2011 National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report by AHRQ. However, overall health care quality continues to improve at a slow rate (2.5 percent) and quality and access to care are hindered for many Americans due to disparities based on race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status and other factors, the reports noted. Fifty percent of the measures that tracked disparities in health care access showed no improvement, while 40 percent of those measures were getting worse. Hispanics, American Indians and Alaska Natives received worse access to care than whites on more than 60 percent of the reports’ access measures, while blacks received worse access on slightly more than 30 percent of the access measures. Asians had worse access to care on only 17 percent of the access measures. This year’s reports include new data on the adoption of electronic health record systems in hospitals and home health and hospice agencies, adolescent health, and musculoskeletal diseases such as arthritis and osteoporosis. The 2011 National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report are available online at: http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/qrdr11.htm
Employment-based Health Benefits: Trends in Access and Coverage, 1997-2010by Paul Fronstin, Ph.D.Since 2002 the percentage of workers with health coverage has been declining, mostly because fewer workers have access to coverage. Continue reading...
Gay rights in the US, state by stateGay rights laws in America have evolved to allow — but in some cases ban — rights for gay, lesbian and transgender people on a range of issues, including marriage, hospital visitation, adoption, housing, employment and school bullying. Continue reading (including interactive tool)...
NQF Endorses Prevention Care and Screening Measuresby Erin WeireterThe National Quality Forum (NQF) Board of Directors has endorsed 19 quality measures related to preventive care. The measures – part of NQF’s Population Health: Prevention Endorsement Maintenance project – address a range of clinical preventive care concerns, including influenza and pneumococcal immunizations across a range of healthcare settings, and screenings for specific cancers, sexually transmitted infections, and osteoporosis. Continue reading...
Highest and lowest life expectancy by county and sex (US), 1989-2009With this interactive tool, view the highest and lowest life expectancies by county, sex, and black or white race. See how between 1989 and 2009 some counties made steady progress while others fluctuated from year to year. Continue to the rest of the article and the interactive tool...
Delaware Health Statistics CenterThe Delaware Health Statistics Center is pleased to announce the release of a series of new maps: Delaware Legislative District Atlases for both the House and Senate, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), and Federally Qualified Health Care Centers (FQHCs). The Legislative District Atlases contain a series of maps that includes a statewide view of the district boundaries, followed by a more detailed map of each district and its surrounding area. The maps are available on the GIS and Mapping page of the DHSC’s website, available here: http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/hp/gis2.html
Health Care Budget Deficit CalculatorThe U.S. health care system is possibly the most inefficient in the world: We spend twice as much per person on health care as other advanced countries, but we have worse health outcomes, including a lower life expectancy. The government, through programs like Medicare and Medicaid, pays for approximately half of the country's health care, almost all of which is actually provided by the private sector. Thus, the bulk of our projected rising budget deficits are due to skyrocketing private health care costs. Continue reading...
|
