Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #102516

Michael L. Ganz, MS, PhD and Ziming Xuan. Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Kresge 615, Boston, MA 02115, 617-432-2383, mganz@hsph.harvard.edu

To increase public awareness of the burdens and costs of eye/vision conditions, data are needed on the health care resource use patterns of people with eye conditions. Since children are at high risk for undetected conditions and because both undetected and detected conditions can become exacerbated over time, potentially seriously impacting on development, these data are especially needed for children. Recent policy statements and strategic plans for future research articulated by the National Eye Institute have identified Health services research (HSR) as a research priority. The changing landscape of financing also has implications for eye care. Managed care policies may restrict or require pre-authorization for specialty services. Capitation payments and increased patient loads that pediatric primary care providers now face may have untoward effects on vision services and screening for children. In addition, features of many managed care programs may have impacts on family out-of-pocket expenses, especially for eyeglasses. These data are also needed to assist policy makers in allocating scare health care resources to where they are most needed. We will present estimates of utilization and expenditure patterns and sources of payment for eye/vision care, including eyeglasses, contact lenses, and prescription drugs by SES, clinical, child, and insurance factors for children < 18 years old. Data from the nationally representative Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys for the years 1996-2001 will be utilized and a general linear model regression approach will be used to estimate utilization and expenditure levels.

Learning Objectives:

• Session participants will learn how the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey can be used to identify children with diagnosed eye/vision conditions and how to estimate utilization and expenditure patterns.

Keywords: Vision Care, Utilization

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation