Problems Paying Medical Bills Among Persons Under Age 65

February 27, 2015

Previous work has shown that in the first half of 2011 through the first half of 2013, approximately one in five persons under age 65 was in a family with problems paying medical bills in the past 12 months.

A new NCHS report provides updated estimates for the percentage of persons under age 65 who were in families having problems paying medical bills, by selected demographic variables, based on data from January 2011 through June 2014 of the National Health Interview Survey.

Key Findings from the Report:

  • The percentage of persons under age 65 who were in families having problems paying medical bills decreased from 21.3% (56.5 million) in 2011 to 17.8% (47.7 million) in the first 6 months of 2014.
  • Within each year, from 2011 through June 2014, children aged 0–17 years were more likely than adults aged 18–64 to be in families having problems paying medical bills.
  • The percentage of children aged 0–17 years who were in families having problems paying medical bills decreased from 23.2% in 2011 to 19.0% in the first 6 months of 2014.
  • In the first 6 months of 2014, among persons under age 65, 31.2% of those who were uninsured, 24.2% of those who had public coverage, and 12.4% of those who had private coverage were in families having problems paying medical bills in the past 12 months.
  • In the first 6 months of 2014, 27.1% of poor, 28.0% of near poor, and 12.6% of not poor persons under age 65 were in families having problems paying medical bills in the past 12 months.

Leave a Comment » | National Health Interview Survey | Permalink
Posted by briantsai

Prescription Opioid Analgesic Use Among Adults: United States, 1999–2012

February 25, 2015

Prescription opioid analgesics are used to treat pain from surgery, injury, and health conditions such as cancer. Opioid dependence and opioid-related deaths are growing public health problems. Opioid analgesic sales (in kilograms per 10,000) quadrupled from 1999 to 2010, and from 1999 to 2012, opioid-related deaths (per 100,000) more than tripled. During 1999–2002, 4.2% of persons aged 18 and over used a prescription opioid analgesic in the past 30 days.

A new NCHS report provides updated estimates and trends in prescription opioid analgesic use among adults aged 20 and over, overall and by selected subgroups.

Key Findings from the Report:

  • From 1999–2002 to 2003–2006, the percentage of adults aged 20 and over who used a prescription opioid analgesic in the past 30 days increased from 5.0% to 6.9%. From 2003–2006 to 2011–2012, the percentage who used an opioid analgesic remained stable at 6.9%.
  • From 1999–2002 to 2011–2012, the percentage of opioid analgesic users who used an opioid analgesic stronger than morphine increased from 17.0% to 37.0%.
  • During 2007–2012, the use of opioid analgesics was higher among women (7.2%) than men (6.3%).
  • During 2007–2012, the use of opioid analgesics was higher among non-Hispanic white adults (7.5%) compared with Hispanic adults (4.9%). There was no significant difference in use between non-Hispanic white adults and non-Hispanic black adults (6.5%).

 

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Posted by briantsai

Trends in Long-acting Reversible Contraception Use Among U.S. Women Aged 15–44

February 24, 2015

Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), which include intrauterine devices (IUDs) and subdermal hormonal implants, are gaining popularity due to their high efficacy in preventing unintended pregnancies. IUD use was more common among U.S. women in the 1970s before concerns over safety led to a decline in use; however, since approval of a 5-year contraceptive implant in 1990 and redesigned IUDs, there has been growing interest in the use of LARCs for unintended pregnancy prevention.

Using data from the 1982, 1988, 1995, 2002, 2006–2010, and 2011–2013 National Survey of Family Growth, a new NCHS report examines trends in current LARC use among women aged 15–44 and describes patterns of use by age, race and Hispanic origin, and parity.

Key Findings from the Report:

  • Use of LARCs declined between 1982 and 1988, remained stable through 2002, and then increased nearly five-fold in the last decade among women aged 15–44, from 1.5% in 2002 to 7.2% in 2011–2013.
  • The percentage of women using LARCs has remained highest among women aged 25–34, with more than twice as many women aged 25–34 (11.1%) using LARCs in 2011–2013 compared with women aged 15–24 (5.0%) and aged 35–44 (5.3%).
  • After decreasing between 1982 and 1988 and remaining stable from 1988 through 1995, LARC-use patterns diverged among Hispanic, non-Hispanic white, and non-Hispanic black women.
  • Women who have had at least one birth use LARCs at a higher rate compared with women who have had no previous births, and this difference has increased over time.

Leave a Comment » | contraception, National Survey of Family Growth | Permalink
Posted by briantsai

QuickStats: Percentage of Men Aged 25–74 Years Who Consume 15 or More Alcoholic Drinks Per Week

February 23, 2015

During 2011–2013, male veterans aged 25–74 years were more likely to consume an average of 15 or more alcoholic drinks per week in the last year (“heavy drinking”) compared with nonveterans (7% versus 5%).

Among men aged 25–34 years, the proportion of veterans who were heavy drinkers was 9%, higher than the 6% observed in nonveterans. Similarly, veterans were more likely than nonveterans to be heavy drinkers among men aged 55–64 years (7% versus 5%) and men aged 65–74 years (7% versus 4%).

There was no significant difference in the proportion of veterans compared with nonveterans who were heavy drinkers among men aged 35–44 years or men aged 45–54 years.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6406a10.htm

Leave a Comment » | National Health Interview Survey | Permalink
Posted by briantsai

Progress With Electronic Health Record Adoption

February 19, 2015

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009 provides incentive payments to eligible hospitals and providers that demonstrate the meaningful use of a certified electronic health record (EHR) system.

A new report describes the adoption of EHRs in hospital emergency departments (EDs) and outpatient departments (OPDs) from 2006 through 2011 using the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.

Key Findings from the Report:

  • In 2011, 84% of hospital emergency departments used an electronic health record system.
  • Adoption of a basic EHR system with a specific set of functionalities by EDs increased from 19% in 2007 to 54% in 2011.
  • In 2011, 73% of hospital outpatient departments used an EHR system, up from 29% in 2006.
  • Adoption of a basic EHR system with a specific set of functionalities by OPDs increased from 9% in 2007 to 57% in 2011.
  • From 2007 through 2011, adoption of Stage 1 Meaningful Use objectives by EDs and OPDs increased.
  • In 2011, 14% of EDs and 16% of OPDs had EHR technology able to support nine Stage 1 Meaningful Use objectives.

Leave a Comment » | electronic medical records, National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey | Permalink
Posted by briantsai

STATE VITALS: NEVADA

February 18, 2015

The state of Nevada scores higher than the nation overall in births to unmarried mothers, cesarean deliveries, preterm births and teen births.

However, among the 10 leading causes of death in the United States, the silver state has mortality rates that are lower than the U.S. rates for the following causes: cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s Disease and diabetes.

Here is a list of the 15 leading causes of death in Nevada in 2012 with ICD 10 codes:

1 Diseases of heart (I00-I09,I11,I13,I20-I51)

2 Malignant neoplasms (C00-C97)

3 Chronic lower respiratory diseases (J40-J47)

4 Accidents (unintentional injuries) (V01-X59,Y85-Y86)

5 Cerebrovascular diseases (I60-I69)

6 Intentional self-harm (suicide) (U03,X60-X84,Y87.0)

7 Influenza and pneumonia (J09-J18)

8 Diabetes mellitus (E10-E14)

9 Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis (K70,K73-K74)

10 Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis (N00-N07,N17-N19,N25-N27)

11 Alzheimer’s disease (G30)

12 Septicemia (A40-A41)

13 Essential hypertension and hypertensive renal disease (I10,I12,I15)

14 Parkinson’s disease (G20-G21)

15 Pneumonitis due to solids and liquids (J69)

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Hospitalization for Total Hip Replacement Among Inpatients Aged 45 and Over: United States, 2000–2010

February 12, 2015

Total hip replacement, in which both the head of the femur and its socket are replaced, is done to restore movement to hips damaged by osteoarthritis, late-stage degenerative bone and cartilage disease, or other injuries and disease. The number of total hip replacements is expected to increase over the next few decades.

A new NCHS report show trends and estimates of the number and rate of total hip replacements and average length of stay among inpatients aged 45 and over.

Key Findings from the Report:

  • In 2010, 310,800 total hip replacements were performed among inpatients aged 45 and over.
  • The number and rate of total hip replacements among inpatients aged 45 and over increased from 2000 to 2010: from 138,700 to 310,800 in number and from a rate of 142.2 to 257.0 per 100,000 population.
  • The age distribution of inpatients aged 45 and over who received total hip replacements changed significantly between 2000 and 2010, with the percentage of total hip replacements increasing for younger age groups and decreasing for older age groups.
  • The average length of stay after total hip replacement among inpatients aged 45 and over decreased from 2000 to 2010, from nearly 5 days to just under 4 days.

 

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Posted by briantsai

New Mobile App Provides Up-to-Date U.S. Health Statistics on the Go

February 11, 2015

The National Center for Health Statistics announces the launch of FastStats, a mobile version of NCHS’s FastStats website that provides on-the-go access to current statistics on topics of public health importance.

FastStats for iOS puts access to topic-specific NCHS content at the fingertips of health care providers and clinicians. Topics include diseases and conditions, injuries, life stages and populations, health care and insurance, and birth and mortality data for each U.S. state and territory. Content is updated automatically when the device is connected to the internet, giving the user the most up-to-date health statistics available.

FastStats is optimized to give users the ability to personalize their mobile experience, including highlighting, annotations, and bookmarks. Users can also share their data discoveries with colleagues through social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

FastStats is the first mobile application to be released by NCHS. It is currently available from Apple’s App Store for iOS 6.0 and later. An Android version is currently in development.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/mobile-application.htm

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New Reports on Complementary Health Approaches in the United States

February 10, 2015

Two new reports from NCHS,  Trends in the Use of Complementary Health Approaches Among Adults: United States, 2002–2012 and Use of Complementary Health Approaches Among Children Aged 4–17 Years in the United States: National Health Interview Survey, 2007–2012, present national estimates of the use of complementary health approaches.

The complementary health approaches among adults report looked at three time points. Trends in the use of selected complementary health approaches are compared for 2002, 2007, and 2012, and differences by selected demographic characteristics are also examined.

For this report, the definition of any complementary approach included the use of one or more of the following during the past 12 months: acupuncture; Ayurveda; biofeedback; chelation therapy; chiropractic care; energy healing therapy; special diets (including vegetarian and vegan, macrobiotic, Atkins, Pritikin, and Ornish); folk medicine or traditional healers; guided imagery; homeopathic treatment; hypnosis; naturopathy; nonvitamin, nonmineral dietary supplements; massage; meditation; progressive relaxation; qi gong; tai chi; or yoga.

Key Findings from the Report:

  • Nonvitamin, nonmineral dietary supplements were the most commonly used complementary health approach at each of the three time points: 18.9% in 2002 and unchanged from 2007 to 2012 (17.7%).
  • Whether used independently or as a part of other approaches, deep-breathing exercises were the second most commonly used complementary health approach in 2002 (11.6%), 2007 (12.7%), and 2012 (10.9%).
  • The use of yoga, tai chi, and qi gong increased linearly over the three time points, beginning at 5.8% in 2002, 6.7% in 2007, and 10.1% in 2012. Yoga was the most commonly used of these three approaches at all three time points.

The next report presents national estimates of the use of complementary health approaches among children aged 4–17 years in the United States. Selected modalities are compared for 2007 and 2012 to examine changes over time.

Key Findings from the Report:

  • There was a statistically significant decrease in the use of traditional healers between 2007 (1.1%) and 2012 (0.1%). Due to questionnaire modifications, this should be interpreted with caution.
  • There was a statistically significant increase in the use of any yoga, tai chi, or qi gong between 2007 (2.5%) and 2012 (3.2%). Most of this increase can be attributed to the increased use of yoga (2.3% to 3.1%)
  • Nonvitamin, nonmineral dietary supplements were the most commonly used modality in both 2007 and 2012.
  • Any homeopathy was used by about 1.8% of children in 2012, while practitioner-based homeopathy was used by only 0.2% of children.

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Posted by briantsai

Diabetes is the Seventh Leading Cause of Death in the U.S.

February 4, 2015

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and it’s important to raise awareness of this ever-growing disease.

Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugar to build up in your blood.

Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations.

In 2013, Nine percent of adults aged 18 and over have diagnosed diabetes, and more than 8 in 10 of these adults had contact with a doctor or health care professional in the past 6 months.  Also, about 14% of adults age 40 and over who have been diagnosed with diabetes are not taking medication for it.

There were 37.3 million visits to physician offices, hospital outpatient and emergency departments with diabetes as primary diagnosis from 2009 and 2010.

In 2010, there were 635,000 discharges with diabetes as first-listed diagnosis and the average length of stay was more than 4 days.

For more information on diabetes:

http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/home/index.html

http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/data/statistics/2014StatisticsReport.html

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/LivingWithDiabetes/?s_cid=fb551

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db183.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db161.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/diabetes.htm

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