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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Frank C. Lemus, MA, Preventive Medicine and Community Health, University of Texas Medical Branch, 700 Harborside Dr., Rte: 1153, Galveston, TX 77555-1153, 409-762-5140, fclemus@utmb.edu

Objective: Contextual factors may influence an individual's health in a community. Mechanisms linking neighborhood advantage/disadvantage to better/poorer health outcomes are complex. They may be related to community variations in quality of care. We measured using AHRQ prevention quality indicator (PQI): reduce bacterial pneumonia hospitalization rates, 65+, 32 Texas border counties. Knowing PQI rates is essential to establish community primary health care service priorities and for measuring quality of primary health care. Methods: We estimated non-Hispanic White, Black, and Latino baseline hospitalization rates. Estimates derived from public use files of Texas Health Care Information Council's hospital discharge abstracts (1999-2001) and population counts from 2000 U.S. Census. AHRQ identified ten ICD-9-CM bacterial pneumonia codes (where first listed or principal diagnosis). We used exact codes to extract PQI data. Developed Texas border counties data subset (10,749 records), and community characteristics derived from Census. Design: Healthy People 2010 methodology used to calculate hospitalization rates. Numerator: number of bacterial pneumonia hospital discharges, 65+, in County multiplied by 10,000. Denominator from Census: number of persons 65+ in County multiplied by 3. 2000 U.S. Census was mid-point in rate determination. Findings: Disparities in bacterial pneumonia rates between non-Hispanic Whites and Latinos; income gradients correlated with bacterial pneumonia rates. Implications: Stakeholders can assess population health status (funding, immunization, treatment priorities); methodology and baseline for future comparability health studies with Texas counties, 4 U.S. and 6 Mexico border states; demonstrates use of hospital discharge data for community based health services research; basis to understand neighborhood influences on population health.

Learning Objectives: At the end of this session participants will be able to

• Describe one Agency on Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Prevention Quality Indicator (PQI);
• Describe Healthy People 2010 and Healthy Border 2010 reports;
• Describe Healthy People 2010 methodology for hospitalization rate calculation;
• Describe and define the United States-Mexico Border Region; and
• Articulate use of hospital discharge data for community based health services research.

Keywords: Elderly, Immunizations

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered

Handout (.ppt format, 1031.5 kb)