Recorded presentation

Janet C Greenblatt, MPH, Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 540 Gaither Road, Rm. 5042, Rockville, MD 20850, 301-427-1479, jgreenbl@ahrq.gov

The MEPS is an ongoing panel survey designed to produce annual estimates of the health care utilization, expenditures, sources of payment, and insurance coverage of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. Starting in 2000, a self-administered questionnaire (SAQ) was included that contained the SF-12, a series of 12 questions which have been verified as providing a measure of a person’s current emotional and physical health.

The 2000 and 2001 MEPS data will be used to create 4 categories of adult respondents: low physical and low emotional scores, low physical and high emotional scores, high physical and low emotional scores, and high physical and high emotional scores. The demographic characteristics of the 4 groups (i.e, race/ethnicity, insurance coverage, gender, educational attainment and age) will be explored to see if they differ by group. Chronic conditions, prescribed medications, visits to physicians and hospital stays, and medical expenditures will be examined by group. The hypothesis to be tested is whether people with low physical and emotional scores are more likely than those in the other 3 groups to accrue higher medical expenditures. A regression analysis will be run to ascertain the characteristics of the groups with the highest medical expenditures.

Keywords: MEPS, SF-12 scores, medical costs

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Participants will receive information about the 2000-2001 MEPS and the SF-12 questionnaire.
• 2. Participants will learn how SF-12 questions were adapted for a national patient satisfaction survey of health care quality.
• 3. Participants evaluate strength of the association between low physical and low emotional SF-12 scores and medical expenditures.
• 4. A regression analyses indicating the characteristics of the group with the highest medical expenditures will allow participants to identify those in need of mental health services.

Keywords: Mental Health, Cost Issues

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.

Recorded presentation