There is limited public health knowledge about the degree to which community-dwelling, non-institutionalized persons who live with a disability need, obtain, and utilize appropriate prescription medications. This session will present findings from an analysis of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data source, a national survey conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), on the financing and utilization of medical care in the United States. The purpose of the study was to identify predominant classes of pharmaceuticals utilized by persons in "disability domains", for example, mobility impairment; communication impairment; seeing and hearing impairments; or learning and cognitive impairments; as designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICIDH-2) model. The MEPS is an ongoing panel survey of health care utilization, expenditures, sources of payment, and insurance coverage among the civilian non-institutionalized American population. The data from 1996, the first released year of the MEPS household interviews, provides information regarding more than 171,000 new prescriptions and refills reported by more than 22,600 respondents. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) National Drug Code (NDC) unique pharmaceutical number identifiers permit analysis of utilization and expenditures by pharmaceutical class. Methodology, findings, and implications for health care policy development related to pharmaceutical utilization by persons with disabilities will be discussed.
Learning Objectives: At the completion of this session, the participant will be able to: 1) Recognize components of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICIDH-2) Model, 2) Identify trends in prescription medication utilization and associated expenditures for persons with disabilities, and 3) Discuss health care policy issues related to pharmaceutical utilization by persons with disabilities.
Keywords: Prescription Drug Use Patterns, Disability Studies
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.