Objectives: To determine asthma prevalence by geographic distribution in a Medicaid managed care population to establish a baseline for asthma surveillance. Methods: The population at risk was defined as Philadelphia members of a Medicaid managed care organization continuously enrolled for calendar year 1999. Asthmatics were identified as members with at least one medical claim with any ICD-9 code indicative of asthma (493.*) during 1999. Prevalence was calculated by dividing these asthma claims by the membership at risk for the year. Information from the census bureau was used to estimate median household income, number of households, and population density for each zip code. Results: The prevalence of asthma in Philadelphia was 4164 per 67966, or 6.13 percent. Of the 46 Philadelphia zip codes assessed, fourteen (30%) exhibit prevalences higher than the county mean. Those above the county mean had a lower median income, similar number of households, and were more populated per square mile. Conclusion: Medicaid recipients enrolled in a managed care organization in North and West Philadelphia zip codes had a higher prevalence of asthma compared to members in other areas of Philadelphia County. The identification of these individuals makes targeted interventions feasible. This groundwork has provided valuable baseline information necessary for the measurement of outcomes resulting from such interventions. Such information will be used to develop a national asthma surveillance system by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Asthma Surveillance Taskforce - a collaboration forged by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Surgeon General’s Office, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Learning Objectives: 1. Identify areas of high asthma prevalence in Pennsylvania. 2. Determine key factors for high asthma prevalence. 3. Create a plan for asthma surveillance.
Keywords: Asthma, Surveillance
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.