COPD-Related Mortality by Sex and Race Among Adults Aged 25 and Over: United States, 2000-2014

September 8, 2016

Questions for Hanyu Ni, Ph.D., M.P.H., Associate Director for Science and Lead Author on “COPD-Related Mortality by Sex and Race Among Adults Aged 25 and Over: United States, 2000-2014”

Q: How have trends in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) related deaths changed since 2000?

HN: Overall, the COPD-related death rate decreased 12.3% from 2000 through 2014 after adjustment for age. The crude death rate remained flat over time.

Q: What is the difference between COPD-related deaths and chronic lower respiratory disease mortality – the latter which is listed as the third leading cause of death in the United States?

HN: Chronic lower respiratory disease (CLRD) comprises three major diseases, i.e., chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma — that are all characterized by shortness of breath caused by airway obstruction. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) includes mainly emphysema and chronic bronchitis. From 2000 through 2014, COPD accounted for approximately 96% of all CLRD deaths every
year.

Q: How has COPD-related mortality changed among men and women over time?

HN: The COPD-related death rate declined more rapidly among men than among women. The age-adjusted rate for men declined 22.5% from 183.0 per 100,000 standard population in 2000, to 141.9 in 2014. The rate for women declined 3.8% from 104.9 in 2000 to 100.9 in 2014.

Q: Are there differences among race and age groups in COPD-related deaths?

HN: The changes over time in the COPD-related death rate differed by sex, race, and age. Between 2000 and 2014, the COPD-related death rate declined among men aged 65 and older and among women aged 65 and 84. However, the death rate increased among middle-aged men and women aged 45-64 and women aged 85 years and older. During the same period, the rate declined among white men and black men, remained stable among white women, but increased among black women.

Q: What do you think is the most significant finding in your new study?

HN: Using multiple-cause-of death data, this analysis found that the COPD-related death rate is roughly twice as high as the previously reported rate based on the underlying cause of death. This analysis also revealed an increased risk in COPD-related mortality among black women, both men and women aged 45-64, and women aged 85 and over.

Leave a Comment » | COPD, Data Briefs, Deaths, National Vital Statistics System | Permalink
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Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, January-March 2016

September 7, 2016

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Questions for Robin Cohen, Ph.D., Health Statistician and Lead Author of “Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, January-March 2016”

Q: How have trends in health insurance coverage in the United States changed in the first quarter of 2016 compared to last year, and compared to 2010 when the Affordable Care Act was established?

RC: In the first 3 months of 2016, 27.3 million — or 8.6 percent of persons of all ages — were uninsured. This is 1.3 million fewer persons than in 2015 and 21.3 million fewer persons than in 2010. In 2015, the uninsured rate is in the single digits for the first time since the National Health Interview Survey began measuring health insurance in 1959.

Also, from January through March 2016, among adults aged 18 to 64, 11.9 percent were uninsured at the time of interview, 19.5 percent had public coverage, and 70.2 percent had private health insurance coverage. Among the 138.2 million adults in this age group with private coverage, 9.2 million or 4.7 percent were covered by private health insurance plans obtained through the Health Insurance Marketplace or state-based exchanges.

Q: What explains the drop in the uninsured rate during the first quarter of 2016, after the rate was essentially unchanged during the last three periods for 2015?

RC: The estimates for the previous three reports are based on an average over 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months of data for the November 2015, February 2016, and May 2016 reports respectively.

Q: How is health insurance coverage looking this year for our youngest population – children under 18 years of age?

RC: In the first quarter of 2016, 5 percent of children under 18 years of age were uninsured; 42.1 percent had public coverage, and 54.9 percent had private coverage. The percentage of children who were uninsured decreased from 13.9 percent in 1997 to 5 percent in the first 3 months of 2016.

Q: Where do high-deductible plans through private health insurance fit into 2016 estimates compared to earlier years?

RC: Forty percent of persons under age 65 with private health insurance were enrolled in a high-deductible health plan in the first 3 months of 2016. The percentage who were enrolled in a high deductible health plan increased almost 15 percentage points from 25.3 percent in 2010 to 40 percent in 2016’s first quarter. More recently, the percentage enrolled in a high-deductible plan increased from 36.7 percent in 2015 to 40 percent in 2016.

Q: What are the trends among race and ethnicity groups in health insurance coverage this year and compared over time?

RC: In the first 3 months of 2016, 24.5 percent of Hispanic, 13 percent of non-Hispanic black, 8.4 percent of non-Hispanic white, and 6.7 percent of non-Hispanic Asian adults aged 18 to 64 lacked health insurance coverage. There were significant decreases in the percentage of uninsured adults observed between 2015 and the first 3 months of 2016 among these four race and ethnicity groups. Hispanic adults had the greatest percentage point decrease of 16.1 percentage points in the uninsured rate between 2013 and the first 3 months of 2016.

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QuickStats: Percentage of Physicians Who Have Electronic Access to Patient Health Information from Outside Their Medical Practice by State

September 2, 2016

In 2015, approximately half (50.3%) of the physicians in the United States had information from other providers outside of their practice electronically available at the point of care.

There was wide variation by state, ranging from 34.6% in Idaho to 76.4% in South Dakota.

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia were in the range with the lowest percentage of physicians with electronic access to more comprehensive patient information (34.6%–47.2%).

Another 16 states were in the middle range (47.3%–57%). The 18 states with the highest percentage of physicians having such information electronically available were in the top range (57.1%– 76.4%).

LINK: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6534a7.htm?s_cid=mm6534a7_e

Leave a Comment » | electronic medical records, State data | Permalink
Posted by briantsai

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