scholarly journals The importance of health insurance claims data in creating learning health systems: evaluating care for high-need high-cost patients using the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network (PCORNet)

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 1305-1313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen A Smith ◽  
Mary S Vaughan-Sarrazin ◽  
Menggang Yu ◽  
Xinyi Wang ◽  
Peter A Nordby ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Case management programs for high-need high-cost patients are spreading rapidly among health systems. PCORNet has substantial potential to support learning health systems in rapidly evaluating these programs, but access to complete patient data on health care utilization is limited as PCORNet is based on electronic health records not health insurance claims data. Because matching cases to comparison patients on baseline utilization is often a critical component of high-quality observational comparative effectiveness research for high-need high-cost patients, limited access to claims may negatively affect the quality of the matching process. We sought to determine whether the evaluation of programs for high-need high-cost patients required claims data to match cases to comparison patients. Materials and Methods A retrospective cohort study design with multiple measures of before-and-after health care utilization for 1935 case management patients and 3833 matched comparison patients aged 18 years and older from 2011 to 2015. EHR and claims data were extracted from 3 health systems participating in PCORNet. Results Without matching on claims-based health care utilization, the case management programs at 2 of 3 health systems were associated with fewer hospital admissions and emergency visits over the subsequent 12 months. With matching on claims-based health care utilization, case management was no longer associated with admissions and emergency visits at those 2 programs. Discussion The results of a PCORNet-facilitated evaluation of 3 programs for high-need high-cost patients differed substantially depending on whether claims data were available for matching cases to comparison patients. Conclusions Partnering with learning health systems to rapidly evaluate programs for high-need high-cost patients will require that PCORNet facilitates comprehensive and timely access to both electronic health records and health insurance claims data.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Stucki ◽  
Janina Nemitz ◽  
Maria Trottmann ◽  
Simon Wieser

Abstract Background Decomposing health care spending by disease, type of care, age, and sex can lead to a better understanding of the drivers of health care spending. But the lack of diagnostic coding in outpatient care often precludes a decomposition by disease. Yet, health insurance claims data hold a variety of diagnostic clues that may be used to identify diseases. Methods In this study, we decompose total outpatient care spending in Switzerland by age, sex, service type, and 42 exhaustive and mutually exclusive diseases according to the Global Burden of Disease classification. Using data of a large health insurance provider, we identify diseases based on diagnostic clues. These clues include type of medication, inpatient treatment, physician specialization, and disease specific outpatient treatments and examinations. We determine disease-specific spending by direct (clues-based) and indirect (regression-based) spending assignment. Results Our results suggest a high precision of disease identification for many diseases. Overall, 81% of outpatient spending can be assigned to diseases, mostly based on indirect assignment using regression. Outpatient spending is highest for musculoskeletal disorders (19.2%), followed by mental and substance use disorders (12.0%), sense organ diseases (8.7%) and cardiovascular diseases (8.6%). Neoplasms account for 7.3% of outpatient spending. Conclusions Our study shows the potential of health insurance claims data in identifying diseases when no diagnostic coding is available. These disease-specific spending estimates may inform Swiss health policies in cost containment and priority setting.


2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chirag M. Lakhani ◽  
Braden T. Tierney ◽  
Arjun K. Manrai ◽  
Jian Yang ◽  
Peter M. Visscher ◽  
...  

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