This study examines the impact of lifestyle behaviors on Medicare costs at the state level using panel data from 2003 to 2010. The key findings are:
1) Reversible health-related lifestyle attributes like smoking and obesity are statistically significant determinants of variations in state-level Medicare costs.
2) State-level Medicare spending is elastic with respect to changes in the prevalence of smoking and obesity.
3) To account for unobserved state-specific factors, the study fits both fixed-effects and random-effects regression models and uses the Hausman test to identify the most efficient estimator.
Levels of Utilization and Socio - Economic Factors Influencing Adherence to U...inventionjournals
The paper intends to assess the level of utilization and socio-economic factors influencing adherence to utilization of Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) for People Living with HIV/AIDS in Dodoma Municipality and Kongwa District in Tanzania. Documentary review, interview and Focus Group Discussion were used in collecting data. A total of 140 respondents (99 PLWHIV/AIDS and 41 key informants) from four hospitals, two health centers and one dispensary were selected and interviewed as representatives for the purpose of this study. Quantitative data were collected and analyzed by using SPSS version 16 software. The study revealed 100% of PLWHIV/AIDS used ART drugs in Dodoma General Hospital, Kongwa Hospital, Mkoka Health Center and Makole Health Center while 40% in St. Gemma Hospital. Also the study indicated there were high dropout from utilization of ART drugs among PLWHIV/AIDS, 60% in Mirembe hospital, (50%) in Mkoka health center and (44%) in St. Gemma hospital as compared to the rest health centers and hospitals. The drop out caused by ART drugs side effects such as vomiting (25.1%), frequently sickness (19.9%) and decrease in CD 4 (11.2%). Lastly the study revealed four main socio-economic factors influencing adherence to utilization of ART services among PLHIV/AIDS including lack of employment support (66.7 %,) lack of confidentiality (50 %,) patient’s preference to traditional medicines (30%) and cultural belief (29.3%). The study recommends all PLWHIV/AIDS with side effects should report their cases to health centers and hospitals because not all side effects require a change of drugs or discontinuation, PLWHIV/AIDS should be assisted by Government and Non-Government Organizations and family members to secure soft loans that will enable them to establish income generation activities, education on patients confidentiality should be provided to services providers in hospitals and health centers
Fuzzy Bi-Objective Preventive Health Care Network DesignGurdal Ertek
Preventive healthcare is unlike healthcare for a cute ailments, as people are less alert to their unknown medical problems.In order to motivate public and to attain desired participation levels for preventive programs,the attractiveness of the healthcare facility is a major concern.Health economics literature indicates that attractiveness to a facility is significantly influenced by proximity of the clients to it.Hence attractiveness is generally modeled as a function of distance.However, abundant empirical evidence suggests that other qualitative factors such as perceived quality, attractions nearby, amenities, etc. also influence attractiveness. Therefore, are alistic measures hould in corporate the vagueness in the concept of attractiveness to the model.The public policymakers should also maintain the equity among various neighborhoods, which should be considered as a second objective.Finally, even though general tendency in the literature is to focus on health benefits,the cost effectiveness is still a factor that should be considered.In this paper,a fuzzy bi-objective model with budget constraints of the problem is developed.Later,by modelling the attractiveness by means of fuzzy triangular numbers and treating the budget constraint as a soft constraint, a modified (and more realistic)version of the model is introduced. Two solution methodologies, namely fuzzy goal programming and fuzzy chance constrained optimization are proposed as solutions.Both the original and the modified models are solved within the framework of a case study in Istanbul,Turkey.In the case study,the Microsoft Bing Map is utilized in order to determine more accurate distance measures among the nodes.
http://ertekprojects.com/gurdal-ertek-publications/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10729-014-9293-z
Levels of Utilization and Socio - Economic Factors Influencing Adherence to U...inventionjournals
The paper intends to assess the level of utilization and socio-economic factors influencing adherence to utilization of Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) for People Living with HIV/AIDS in Dodoma Municipality and Kongwa District in Tanzania. Documentary review, interview and Focus Group Discussion were used in collecting data. A total of 140 respondents (99 PLWHIV/AIDS and 41 key informants) from four hospitals, two health centers and one dispensary were selected and interviewed as representatives for the purpose of this study. Quantitative data were collected and analyzed by using SPSS version 16 software. The study revealed 100% of PLWHIV/AIDS used ART drugs in Dodoma General Hospital, Kongwa Hospital, Mkoka Health Center and Makole Health Center while 40% in St. Gemma Hospital. Also the study indicated there were high dropout from utilization of ART drugs among PLWHIV/AIDS, 60% in Mirembe hospital, (50%) in Mkoka health center and (44%) in St. Gemma hospital as compared to the rest health centers and hospitals. The drop out caused by ART drugs side effects such as vomiting (25.1%), frequently sickness (19.9%) and decrease in CD 4 (11.2%). Lastly the study revealed four main socio-economic factors influencing adherence to utilization of ART services among PLHIV/AIDS including lack of employment support (66.7 %,) lack of confidentiality (50 %,) patient’s preference to traditional medicines (30%) and cultural belief (29.3%). The study recommends all PLWHIV/AIDS with side effects should report their cases to health centers and hospitals because not all side effects require a change of drugs or discontinuation, PLWHIV/AIDS should be assisted by Government and Non-Government Organizations and family members to secure soft loans that will enable them to establish income generation activities, education on patients confidentiality should be provided to services providers in hospitals and health centers
Fuzzy Bi-Objective Preventive Health Care Network DesignGurdal Ertek
Preventive healthcare is unlike healthcare for a cute ailments, as people are less alert to their unknown medical problems.In order to motivate public and to attain desired participation levels for preventive programs,the attractiveness of the healthcare facility is a major concern.Health economics literature indicates that attractiveness to a facility is significantly influenced by proximity of the clients to it.Hence attractiveness is generally modeled as a function of distance.However, abundant empirical evidence suggests that other qualitative factors such as perceived quality, attractions nearby, amenities, etc. also influence attractiveness. Therefore, are alistic measures hould in corporate the vagueness in the concept of attractiveness to the model.The public policymakers should also maintain the equity among various neighborhoods, which should be considered as a second objective.Finally, even though general tendency in the literature is to focus on health benefits,the cost effectiveness is still a factor that should be considered.In this paper,a fuzzy bi-objective model with budget constraints of the problem is developed.Later,by modelling the attractiveness by means of fuzzy triangular numbers and treating the budget constraint as a soft constraint, a modified (and more realistic)version of the model is introduced. Two solution methodologies, namely fuzzy goal programming and fuzzy chance constrained optimization are proposed as solutions.Both the original and the modified models are solved within the framework of a case study in Istanbul,Turkey.In the case study,the Microsoft Bing Map is utilized in order to determine more accurate distance measures among the nodes.
http://ertekprojects.com/gurdal-ertek-publications/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10729-014-9293-z
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy on the implications of health reform in substance abuse prevention and treatment.
(Keith Humphreys
Senior Policy Advisor, White House ONDCP)
This paper presents analysis of a Kent ‘whole population’ dataset, linking wholepopulation demographics with activity and cost data for the population from acute, community, mental health and social care providers. The data helps commissioners to understand the impact of different selections methods for people with ‘very complex’ health and social care needs, particularly in relation to the development of a LTC year of care currency.
This document should be seen alongside the ‘Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reablement – step-by-step guide’ which describes how providers can carry out the audit in their own organisation. Other documents and learning materials This document is part of a suite of learning materials being produced by the LTC Year of Care Commissioning Programme to support the spread and adoption of capitated budgets for people with complex care needs.
Today it’s critical for providers to devote time to patient education; inform patients about their conditions and how to prevent, treat, and manage them. Proper management of chronic conditions extends well beyond episodic and infrequent visits to a provider’s office. This population health white paper discusses why patients must become responsible for their day-to-day disease management. Patients will frequently be required to self-monitor their health indicators, observe symptoms, and note behavior, but they must also adhere to complex medication regimens
A FRAMEWORK FOR EXTRACTING AND MODELING HIPAA PRIVACY RULES FOR HEALTHCARE AP...hiij
Some organizations use software applications to manage their customers’ personal, medical, or financial
information. In the United States, those software applications are obligated to preserve users’ privacy and
to comply with the United States federal privacy laws and regulations. To formally guarantee compliance
with those regulations, it is essential to extract and model the privacy rules from the text of the law using a
formal framework. In this work we propose a goal-oriented framework for modeling and extracting the
privacy requirements from regulatory text using natural language processing techniques.
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy on the implications of health reform in substance abuse prevention and treatment.
(Keith Humphreys
Senior Policy Advisor, White House ONDCP)
This paper presents analysis of a Kent ‘whole population’ dataset, linking wholepopulation demographics with activity and cost data for the population from acute, community, mental health and social care providers. The data helps commissioners to understand the impact of different selections methods for people with ‘very complex’ health and social care needs, particularly in relation to the development of a LTC year of care currency.
This document should be seen alongside the ‘Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reablement – step-by-step guide’ which describes how providers can carry out the audit in their own organisation. Other documents and learning materials This document is part of a suite of learning materials being produced by the LTC Year of Care Commissioning Programme to support the spread and adoption of capitated budgets for people with complex care needs.
Today it’s critical for providers to devote time to patient education; inform patients about their conditions and how to prevent, treat, and manage them. Proper management of chronic conditions extends well beyond episodic and infrequent visits to a provider’s office. This population health white paper discusses why patients must become responsible for their day-to-day disease management. Patients will frequently be required to self-monitor their health indicators, observe symptoms, and note behavior, but they must also adhere to complex medication regimens
A FRAMEWORK FOR EXTRACTING AND MODELING HIPAA PRIVACY RULES FOR HEALTHCARE AP...hiij
Some organizations use software applications to manage their customers’ personal, medical, or financial
information. In the United States, those software applications are obligated to preserve users’ privacy and
to comply with the United States federal privacy laws and regulations. To formally guarantee compliance
with those regulations, it is essential to extract and model the privacy rules from the text of the law using a
formal framework. In this work we propose a goal-oriented framework for modeling and extracting the
privacy requirements from regulatory text using natural language processing techniques.
Parkinson's disease motor symptoms in machine learning a reviewhiij
This paper reviews related work and state-of-the-ar
t publications for recognizing motor symptoms of
Parkinson's Disease (PD). It presents research effo
rts that were undertaken to inform on how well
traditional machine learning algorithms can handle
this task. In particular, four PD related motor
symptoms are highlighted (i.e. tremor, bradykinesia
, freezing of gait and dyskinesia) and their detail
s
summarized. Thus the primary objective of this rese
arch is to provide a literary foundation for develo
pment
and improvement of algorithms for detecting PD rela
ted motor symptoms.
We are counted among the prominent manufacturers and suppliers of a comprehensive range of Chemical & Pharmaceutical Machines. Apart from this, we provide a wide gamut of Plant Piping and Technological Structures to our clients.
This beginner's guide is packed with tools and techniques to show you who is on your website and what their needs are. Fully armed, you'll be able to design and write a website that addresses them head on.
THE IMPACTS OF LIFESTYLE BEHAVIOR ON MEDICARE COSTS: A PANEL DATA ANALYSIS AT...hiij
This article is a departure from many prior studies in the literature on Medicare spending in the United
States. Previous works have focused on time-invariant or hereditary demographic characteristics and
congenital health status. In contrast, this study examined state-level variations in Medicare costs per
enrollee with special emphasis on prominent acquired health-related lifestyle attributes that are more
reversible over a short time period. Our main findings are (1) reversible acquired health-related lifestyle
attributes such as smoking and obesity are statistically significant determinants of state-level variations in
Medicare costs; and (2) state-level variations in Medicare spending is elastic with respect to changes in the
prevalence of the two acquired health-related lifestyle attributes.
Data is an essential commodity and various organizations today unlock data to allow them to make business decisions that are highly informed. Data in open source has become highly available and U.K Government has a wide range of available open data to analyse. The paper of this report lies in information extraction from data sets of health for supporting development for wide range of food products that are healthy. The scope of this paper lies in analysing and extracting information from distinct data sets using a specific tool of data analytics that is either SAS JMP or SAS Enterprise guide or base SAS. After this analysis, results for the data will be analysed for showing the requirement for a wide range of food products that are healthy.
Fitness/Substance Abuse
Do Alcohol Consumers Exercise More? Findings
From a National Survey
Michael T. French, PhD; Ioana Popovici, PhD; Johanna Catherine Maclean, MA
Abstract
Purpose. Investigate the relationship between alcohol consumption and physical activity
because understanding whether there are common determinants of health behaviors is critical in
designing programs to change risky activities.
Design. Cross-sectional analysis.
Setting. United States.
Subjects. A sample of adults representative of the U.S. population (N 5 230,856) from the
2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
Measures. Several measures of drinking and exercise were analyzed. Specifications included
numerous health, health behavior, socioeconomic, and demographic control variables.
Results. For women, current drinkers exercise 7.2 more minutes per week than abstainers.
Ten extra drinks per month are associated with 2.2 extra minutes per week of physical activity.
When compared with current abstainers, light, moderate, and heavy drinkers exercise 5.7,
10.1, and 19.9 more minutes per week. Drinking is associated with a 10.1 percentage point
increase in the probability of exercising vigorously. Ten extra drinks per month are associated
with a 2.0 percentage point increase in the probability of engaging in vigorous physical activity.
Light, moderate, and heavy drinking are associated with 9.0, 14.3, and 13.7 percentage point
increases in the probability of exercising vigorously. The estimation results for men are similar to
those for women.
Conclusions. Our results strongly suggest that alcohol consumption and physical activity are
positively correlated. The association persists at heavy drinking levels. (Am J Health Promot
2009;24[1]:2–10.)
Key Words: Health Behavior, Lifestyle, Alcohol, Exercise, Health
Consciousness, Sensation Seeking, Prevention Research. Manuscript format:
research, Research purpose: modeling/relationship testing, Study design:
nonexperimental, Outcome measure: physical activity, behavioral, Setting: state/
national, Health focus: fitness/physical activity, Strategy: skill building/behavior
change, Target population age: adult, Target population circumstances:
education/income level and race/ethnicity
PURPOSE
The epidemiologic literature has
firmly established that certain lifestyle
health-related choices are associated
with an elevated risk of morbidity and
mortality.1–3 Excessive alcohol con-
sumption, physical inactivity, smoking,
and unhealthy dietary practices ac-
count for a large proportion of pre-
ventable chronic diseases and deaths in
the United States. However, the precise
association between these behaviors is
still the subject of longstanding debate.
There are reasons to believe that
health behaviors may not be indepen-
dent of each other. One view purports
that individuals’ motivation to prevent
disease or improve health could cause
the clustering of health behaviors.4 In
other words, health consciousness
could l.
Synthesis Please click the link below to see the full description..docxmabelf3
Synthesis Please click the link below to see the full description.
View Full Description and Attachment(s)
Personality inventories often report the distribution of personality types by gender. The chicken-and-egg question:
· To what degree is gender a component of personality, or personality a component of gender?
· Is there a better way to express the relationship between the two, and if so, what is it?
Please use course concepts and outside sources to support your answer to this forum.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Initial posts must be 250+ words, using correct grammar and spellcheck, posted. Part of the requirement for asubstantive post is to bring something new to the conversation. Read the forum prompt and fully answer it, demonstrate understanding of the lesson/content, include evidence from firsthand experience, reference to the course materials, and apply what you’re discussing to work, life, and reality.
U.S. Health Care Spending In
An International Context
Why is U.S. spending so high, and can we afford it?
by Uwe E. Reinhardt, Peter S. Hussey, and Gerard F. Anderson
ABSTRACT: Using the most recent data on health spending published by the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), we explore reasons why U.S. health
spending towers over that of other countries with much older populations. Prominent
among the reasons are higher U.S. per capita gross domestic product (GDP) as well as a
highly complex and fragmented payment system that weakens the demand side of the
health sector and entails high administrative costs. We examine the economic burden that
health spending places on the U.S. economy. We comment on attempts by U.S. policy-
makers to increase the prices foreign health systems pay for U.S. prescription drugs.
F
or a brief moment in the early 1990s it seemed that the combina-
tion of “ managed care” embedded in “ managed competition” would allow
the United States to keep its annual growth of health care spending roughly
in step with the annual growth of gross domestic product (GDP). It was a short-
lived illusion. By the turn of the millennium the annual growth in U.S. health
spending once again began to exceed the annual growth in the rest of the GDP by
ever-larger margins.
In the United States the impact on health spending of managed care and man-
aged competition had been controversial from the start. Skeptics argued that
these tools might yield a one-time savings, spread over a few years, but that by
themselves they would be unlikely to slow the long-term growth in health spend-
ing thereafter.1 It now appears that these analysts were right. In retrospect, and
taking a longer-run view, the cost control of the early and mid-1990s merely repre-
sents an abnormal period in the history of U.S. health care.
Data for 2001, released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and De-
velopment (OECD), show that over the period 1990–2001 the United States suc-
ceeded only in matching the median growth in inflat.
Global Medical Cures™ | Medicare Payments- How Much Do Chronic Conditions Mat...Global Medical Cures™
Global Medical Cures™ | Medicare Payments- How Much Do Chronic Conditions Matter?
DISCLAIMER-
Global Medical Cures™ does not offer any medical advice, diagnosis, treatment or recommendations. Only your healthcare provider/physician can offer you information and recommendations for you to decide about your healthcare choices.
HEALTH DISPARITIES: DIFFERENCES IN VETERAN AND NON-VETERAN POPULATIONS USING ...hiij
Introduction: This study investigated self-reported health status, health screenings, vision problems, and
vaccination rates among veteran and non-veteran groups to uncover health disparities that are critical for
informed health system planning for veteran populations.
Methods: Using public-use data from the National Health Interview Survey (2015-2018), this study adopts
an ecologic cross-sectional approach to conduct an in-depth analysis and visualization of the data assisted
by Generative AI, specifically ChatGPT-4. This integration of advanced AI tools with traditional
epidemiological principles enables systematic data management, analysis, and visualization, offering a
nuanced understanding of health dynamics across demographic segments and highlighting disparities
essential for veteran health system planning.
Findings: Disparities in self-reports of health outcomes, health screenings, vision problems, and
vaccination rates were identified, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions and policy adjustments.
Conclusion: Insights from this study could inform health system planning, using epidemiological data
assessment to suggest enhancements for veteran healthcare delivery. These findings highlight the value of
integrating Generative AI with epidemiological analysis in shaping public health policy and health
planning.
According to this idea that gender is socially constructed, answer.docxronak56
According to this idea that gender is socially constructed, answer the following questions:
1. What does it mean to be a man in the U.S.? What does it mean to be a woman?
2. From what institutions do we learn these gender roles?
3. How do these clips demonstrate the ways in which gender is socially constructed in the U.S.? Do the concepts discussed in the clips resonate with you? Why or why not?
In Persepolis, the main character Marji struggles to define her identity as an Iranian woman in a changing society.
· What roles are depicted for women in Iranian society in the film? How do they change over time?
· How does Persepolis demonstrate the ways in which gender and identity are influenced in many ways, by different processes across cultures? How are gender roles in Iran similar, or different to gender in the U.S.?
· What are some of the stereotypes that exist about Muslim women and how does Abu-Lughod in “Do Muslim Women Need Saving” and Persepolis complicate these stereotypes?
Answer the following questions 2 full pages
Running head: MAJOR HEALTH CARE PROBLEMS IN THE U.S. 1
Major Health Care Problems in the U.S.
Jane Doe
ID: 1212121
MAJOR HEALTH CARE PROBLEMS IN THE U.S. 2
Major Health Care Problems in the US
Problem statement: High and continuously rising cost of health care has been and still is one of
the biggest challenges affecting the Health Care system in United States.
Methods of Examining the Problem
Both qualitative and quantitative research methods should be used to fully understand the
issue of high cost of care in the US. Quantitative methods like surveys and experimentations will
aid in estimating the prevalence, magnitude and frequency of the problem in different regions.
On the other hand, qualitative methods like case studies and observation will help describe the
extent and complexity of the issue. The two approaches need to work in complementation to
obtain a clear understanding of this menace.
Surveys, as a quantitative research method, is one of the most effective in the social
research and present a more viable method of examining the cost of health in the country. They
involve asking of questions in the form of questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaires are
written questions to which the response can be open ended or multiple-choice format. This
would be used to gain information about cost within determinants that are of
disagree/neutral/agree nature. An example is if patients are contented with the cost of services
they get or they deem the cost of cover worthy. Interviews, the researcher discussing issues with
the respondents, are to be used to gain more details on already known aspects of the system. This
may include gathering information to inform policies, administration and use of technology to
minimize the cost of care.
Since health cost in the US is not a new challenge and there have been studies about it,
qualitative methods like .
1 3Defining the ProblemRigina CochranMPA593August 1.docxsmithhedwards48727
1
3Defining the Problem
Rigina CochranMPA/593
August 19, 2019
Peter ReevesDefining the Problem
The health care system in Colorado is a composition of medical professionals providing services such as diagnosis, treatment, as well as preventive measures to mental illness and injuries ("Healthcare policy in Colorado - Ballotpedia," 2019). Health care policy involves the establishment and implementation of legislation and other regulations that the states use to manage its health care system effectively. Further, this sector consists of other participants, such as insurance and health information technology. The cost citizens pay for medical care and also the access to quality care influence the overall health care providers in Colorado. Therefore, the need for the creation and implementation of laws that help the state maintain efficiency in the health sector in Colorado.
Problem Statement
The declining standards of medical care within the United States has caused significant concern in the world. Due to these rising concerns, there have been various policies implemented, leading to mixed reactions among the different states. Some of the active policies implemented offer a long-term solution to this problem including Medicaid and Medicare. After acquiring state control, the Republicans dismissed the idea to expand and create medical insurance for Medicaid in Colorado. Sustaining the structure of the health care payroll calls for the deductions from the employees and the employers, which may lead to loss of jobs and increased burden of expenditure (Garcia, 2019).
Identify the Methodology
The main objective of this policy plan is to investigate the role of legislation in the management of the health care sector in the United States. Due to the need for achieving in-depth exploration, this paper uses a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection by addressing both practical and theoretical aspects of the research. Based on the answers that the policy requires, choosing survey as the research design. This method involves collecting and analyzing data from a few people who represent the principal group within health care. However, the survey method faces some challenges such as attitudes and perception of the health workers leading to the delimitation of the study. The target population for the study includes the nurses within the health sectors in Colorado. The selection of the participants involved in the use of stratified random sampling.
Identify your Stakeholders
The major stakeholders in the creation and implementation of the policy plan include the legislatures, local government, patients, and other private parties such as the insurance companies. Collectively, these bodies are involved in the making of thousands of decisions, overseeing hospitals, making budgetary appropriations, assisting the health workers to acquire licenses, determination of services that the insurers cover, and the management of.
Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ)hiij
Healthcare Informatics: An International Journal is a quarterly open access peer-reviewed journal that Publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the health care.
The journal focuses on all of aspect in theory, practices, and applications of Digital Health Records, Knowledge Engineering in Health, E-Health Information, and Information Management in healthcare, Bio-Medical Expert Systems, ICT in health promotion and related topics. Original contributions are solicited on topics covered under the broad areas such as (but not limited to) listed below:
Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ)hiij
Healthcare Informatics: An International Journal is a quarterly open access peer-reviewed journal that Publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the health care.
The journal focuses on all of aspect in theory, practices, and applications of Digital Health Records, Knowledge Engineering in Health, E-Health Information, and Information Management in healthcare, Bio-Medical Expert Systems, ICT in health promotion and related topics. Original contributions are solicited on topics covered under the broad areas such as (but not limited to) listed below:
Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ)hiij
Healthcare Informatics: An International Journal is a quarterly open access peer-reviewed journal that Publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the health care.
The journal focuses on all of aspect in theory, practices, and applications of Digital Health Records, Knowledge Engineering in Health, E-Health Information, and Information Management in healthcare, Bio-Medical Expert Systems, ICT in health promotion and related topics. Original contributions are solicited on topics covered under the broad areas such as (but not limited to) listed below:
Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ)hiij
Healthcare Informatics: An International Journal is a quarterly open access peer-reviewed journal that Publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the health care.
The journal focuses on all of aspect in theory, practices, and applications of Digital Health Records, Knowledge Engineering in Health, E-Health Information, and Information Management in healthcare, Bio-Medical Expert Systems, ICT in health promotion and related topics. Original contributions are solicited on topics covered under the broad areas such as (but not limited to) listed below:
Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ)hiij
Healthcare Informatics: An International Journal is a quarterly open access peer-reviewed journal that Publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the health care.
The journal focuses on all of aspect in theory, practices, and applications of Digital Health Records, Knowledge Engineering in Health, E-Health Information, and Information Management in healthcare, Bio-Medical Expert Systems, ICT in health promotion and related topics. Original contributions are solicited on topics covered under the broad areas such as (but not limited to) listed below:
Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ)hiij
Healthcare Informatics: An International Journal is a quarterly open access peer-reviewed journal that Publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the health care.
The journal focuses on all of aspect in theory, practices, and applications of Digital Health Records, Knowledge Engineering in Health, E-Health Information, and Information Management in healthcare, Bio-Medical Expert Systems, ICT in health promotion and related topics. Original contributions are solicited on topics covered under the broad areas such as (but not limited to) listed below:
Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ)hiij
Healthcare Informatics: An International Journal is a quarterly open access peer-reviewed journal that Publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the health care.
The journal focuses on all of aspect in theory, practices, and applications of Digital Health Records, Knowledge Engineering in Health, E-Health Information, and Information Management in healthcare, Bio-Medical Expert Systems, ICT in health promotion and related topics. Original contributions are solicited on topics covered under the broad areas such as (but not limited to) listed below:
BRIEF COMMENTARY: USING A LOGIC MODEL TO INTEGRATE PUBLIC HEALTH INFORMATICS ...hiij
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a watershed moment in public health surveillance, highlighting the
crucial role of data-driven insights in informing health actions and policies. Revisiting key concepts—
public health, epidemiology in public health practice, public health surveillance, and public health
informatics—lays the foundation for understanding how these elements converge to create a robust public
health surveillance system framework. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, this integration was
exemplified by the WHO efforts in data dissemination and the subsequent global response. The role of
public health informatics emerged as instrumental in this context, enhancing data collection, management,
analysis, interpretation, and dissemination processes. A logic model for public health surveillance systems
encapsulates the integration of these concepts. It outlines the inputs and outcomes and emphasizes the
crucial actions and resources for effective system operation, including the imperative of training and
capacity development.
Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ)hiij
Healthcare Informatics: An International Journal is a quarterly open access peer-reviewed journal that Publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the health care.
The journal focuses on all of aspect in theory, practices, and applications of Digital Health Records, Knowledge Engineering in Health, E-Health Information, and Information Management in healthcare, Bio-Medical Expert Systems, ICT in health promotion and related topics. Original contributions are solicited on topics covered under the broad areas such as (but not limited to) listed below:
AUTOMATIC AND NON-INVASIVE CONTINUOUS GLUCOSE MONITORING IN PAEDIATRIC PATIENTShiij
Glycated haemoglobin does not allow you to highlight the effects that food choices, physical activity and
medications have on your glycaemic control day by day. The best way to monitor and keep track of the
immediate effects that these have on your blood sugar levels is self-monitoring, therefore the use of a
glucometer. Thanks to this tool you have the possibility to promptly receive information that helps you to
intervene in the most appropriate way, bringing or keeping your blood sugar levels as close as possible to
the reference values indicated by your doctor. Currently, blood glucose meters are used to measure and
control blood glucose. Diabetes is a fairly complex disease and it is important for those who suffer from it
to check their blood sugar (blood sugar) periodically throughout the day to prevent dangerous
complications. Many children newly diagnosed with diabetes and their families may face unique challenges
when dealing with the everyday management of diabetes, including treatments, adapting to dietary
changes, and the routine monitoring of blood glucose. Many questions may also arise when selecting a
blood glucose meter for paediatric patients. With current blood glucose meters, even with multiple daily
self-tests, high and low blood glucose levels may not be detected. Key factors that may be considered when
selecting a meter include accuracy of the meter; size of the meter; small sample size required for testing;
ease of use and easy-to-follow testing procedure; ability for alternate testing sites; quick testing time and
availability of results; ease of portability to allow testing at school and during leisure time; easyto- read
numbers on display; memory options; cost of meter and supplies. In this study we will show a new
automatic portable, non-invasive device and painless for the daily continuous monitoring (24 hours a day)
of blood glucose in paediatric patients.
INTEGRATING MACHINE LEARNING IN CLINICAL DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMShiij
This review article examines the role of machine learning (ML) in enhancing Clinical Decision Support
Systems (CDSSs) within the modern healthcare landscape. Focusing on the integration of various ML
algorithms, such as regression, random forest, and neural networks, the review aims to showcase their
potential in advancing patient care. A rapid review methodology was utilized, involving a survey of recent
articles from PubMed and Google Scholar on ML applications in healthcare. Key findings include the
demonstration of ML's predictive power in patient outcomes, its ability to augment clinician knowledge,
and the effectiveness of ensemble algorithmic approaches. The review highlights specific applications of
diverse ML models, including moment kernel machines in predicting surgical outcomes, k-means clustering
in simplifying disease phenotypes, and extreme gradient boosting in estimating injury risk. Emphasizing
the potential of ML to tackle current healthcare challenges, the article highlights the critical role of ML in
evolving CDSSs for improved clinical decision-making and patient care. This comprehensive review also
addresses the challenges and limitations of integrating ML into healthcare systems, advocating for a
collaborative approach to refine these systems for safety, efficacy, and equity.
BRIEF COMMENTARY: USING A LOGIC MODEL TO INTEGRATE PUBLIC HEALTH INFORMATICS ...hiij
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a watershed moment in public health surveillance, highlighting the
crucial role of data-driven insights in informing health actions and policies. Revisiting key concepts—
public health, epidemiology in public health practice, public health surveillance, and public health
informatics—lays the foundation for understanding how these elements converge to create a robust public
health surveillance system framework. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, this integration was
exemplified by the WHO efforts in data dissemination and the subsequent global response. The role of
public health informatics emerged as instrumental in this context, enhancing data collection, management,
analysis, interpretation, and dissemination processes. A logic model for public health surveillance systems
encapsulates the integration of these concepts. It outlines the inputs and outcomes and emphasizes the
crucial actions and resources for effective system operation, including the imperative of training and
capacity development.
INTEGRATING MACHINE LEARNING IN CLINICAL DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMShiij
This review article examines the role of machine learning (ML) in enhancing Clinical Decision Support
Systems (CDSSs) within the modern healthcare landscape. Focusing on the integration of various ML
algorithms, such as regression, random forest, and neural networks, the review aims to showcase their
potential in advancing patient care. A rapid review methodology was utilized, involving a survey of recent
articles from PubMed and Google Scholar on ML applications in healthcare. Key findings include the
demonstration of ML's predictive power in patient outcomes, its ability to augment clinician knowledge,
and the effectiveness of ensemble algorithmic approaches. The review highlights specific applications of
diverse ML models, including moment kernel machines in predicting surgical outcomes, k-means clustering
in simplifying disease phenotypes, and extreme gradient boosting in estimating injury risk. Emphasizing
the potential of ML to tackle current healthcare challenges, the article highlights the critical role of ML in
evolving CDSSs for improved clinical decision-making and patient care. This comprehensive review also
addresses the challenges and limitations of integrating ML into healthcare systems, advocating for a
collaborative approach to refine these systems for safety, efficacy, and equity.
Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ)hiij
Healthcare Informatics: An International Journal is a quarterly open access peer-reviewed journal that Publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the health care.
The journal focuses on all of aspect in theory, practices, and applications of Digital Health Records, Knowledge Engineering in Health, E-Health Information, and Information Management in healthcare, Bio-Medical Expert Systems, ICT in health promotion and related topics. Original contributions are solicited on topics covered under the broad areas such as (but not limited to) listed below:
The Proposed Guidelines for Cloud Computing Migration for South African Rural...hiij
It is now overdue for the hospitals in South African rural areas to implement cloud computing technologies in order to access patient data quickly in an emergency. Sometimes medical practitioners take time to attend patients due to the unavailability of kept records, leading to either a loss of time or the reassembling of processes to recapture lost patient files. However, there are few studies that highlight challenges faced by rural hospitals but they do not recommend strategies on how they can migrate to cloud computing. The purpose of this paper was to review recent papers about the critical factors that influence South African hospitals in adopting cloud computing. The contribution of the study is to lay out the importance of cloud computing in the health sectors and to suggest guidelines that South African rural hospitals can follow in order to successfully relocate into cloud computing.The existing literature revealed that Hospitals may enhance their record-keeping procedures and conduct business more effectively with the help of the cloud computing. In conclusion, if hospitals in South African rural areas is to fully benefit from cloud-based records management systems, challenges relating to data storage, privacy, security, and the digital divide must be overcome.
SUPPORTING LARGE-SCALE NUTRITION ANALYSIS BASED ON DIETARY SURVEY DATAhiij
While online survey systems facilitate the collection on copious records on diet, exercise and other healthrelated data, scientists and other public health experts typically must download data from those systems
into external tools for conducting statistical analyses. A more convenient approach would enable
researchers to perform analyses online, without the need to coordinate additional analysis tools. This
paper presents a system illustrating such an approach, using as a testbed the WAVE project, which is a 5-
year childhood obesity prevention initiative being conducted at Oregon State University by health scientists
utilizing a web application called WavePipe. This web application has enabled health scientists to create
studies, enrol subjects, collect physical activity data, and collect nutritional data through online surveys.
This paper presents a new sub-system that enables health scientists to analyse and visualize nutritional
profiles based on large quantities of 24-hour dietary recall records for sub-groups of study subjects over
any desired period of time. In addition, the sub-system enables scientists to enter new food information
from food composition databases to build a comprehensive food profile. Interview feedback from novice
health science researchers using the new functionality indicated that it provided a usable interface and
generated high receptiveness to using the system in practice.
AN EHEALTH ADOPTION FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEWhiij
#Health #clinic #education #StaySafe #pharmacy #healthylifestyle
call for papers..!
-----------------------------
Health Informatics: An International Journal (HIIJ)
ISSN : 2319 - 2046 (Online); 2319 - 3190 (Print)
Here's where you can reach us : hiij@aircconline.com
visit us on : https://airccse.org/journal/hiij/index.html
**************
published articles..!
AN EHEALTH ADOPTION FRAMEWORK FOR
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
https://aircconline.com/hiij/V10N3/10321hiij01.pdf
GENDER DISPARITYOF TUBERCULOSISBURDENIN LOW-AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES: A SY...hiij
The tuberculosis burden is higher in the population from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and
differently affects gender. This review explored risk factors that determine gender disparity in tuberculosis
in LMICs. The research design was a systematic review. Three databases; Google Scholar, PubMed, and
HINARI provided 69 eligible papers.The synthesized data were coded, grouped and written in a descriptive
narrative style. HIV-TB co-infected women had a higher risk of mortality than TB-HIV-infected men. The
risk of Vitamin-D deficiency-induced tuberculosis was higher in women than in men. Lymph node TB,
breast TB, and cutaneous and abdominal TB occurred commonly in women whereas pleuritis, miliary TB,
meningeal TB, pleural TB and bone and joint TB were common in men. Employed men had higher contact
with tuberculosis patients and an increased chance of getting the disease. Migrant women were more likely
to develop tuberculosis than migrant men. The TB programmers and policymakers should balance the
different gaps of gender in TB-related activities and consider more appropriate approaches to be genderbased and have equal access to every TB-associated healthcare.
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS DATA HYGIENE: IMPORTANT STEP IN DECISIONMAKING WITH IMPL...hiij
Medical and health data that have been entered into an electronic data system in real-time cannot be
assumed to be accurate and of high quality without verification. The adoption of the electronic health
record (EHR) by many countries to the support care and treatment of patients illustrates the importance of
high quality data that can be shared for efficient patient care and the operation of healthcare systems.
This brief communication provides a high-level overview of an EHR system and practices related to high
data quality and data hygiene that could contribute to the analysis and interpretation of EHR data for use
in patient care and healthcare system administration.
CHINESE PHARMACISTS LAW MODIFICATION, HOW TO PROTECT PATIENTS‘INTERESTS?hiij
The pharmacy profession is relatively new in China. Recently, the demand for pharmacists has increased
as China's hospital system has been unable to support a large patient population due to the increasing
demand for health care. This paper discusses how to improve the Chinese pharmacist law. To make
reasonable laws on pharmacists, used to regulate and manage communication between pharmacists and
patients, the ethical relationships, financial support and degree requirement, and governance of
pharmacists. Improving pharmacist laws can help improve the quality of pharmacists' work, protect patient
privacy, and enhance pharmacists' work efficiency. I will use government reports and authoritative data
collected by myself as examples to analyze what needs to be improved in pharmacist law.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 4DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 4. In this session, we will cover Test Manager overview along with SAP heatmap.
The UiPath Test Manager overview with SAP heatmap webinar offers a concise yet comprehensive exploration of the role of a Test Manager within SAP environments, coupled with the utilization of heatmaps for effective testing strategies.
Participants will gain insights into the responsibilities, challenges, and best practices associated with test management in SAP projects. Additionally, the webinar delves into the significance of heatmaps as a visual aid for identifying testing priorities, areas of risk, and resource allocation within SAP landscapes. Through this session, attendees can expect to enhance their understanding of test management principles while learning practical approaches to optimize testing processes in SAP environments using heatmap visualization techniques
What will you get from this session?
1. Insights into SAP testing best practices
2. Heatmap utilization for testing
3. Optimization of testing processes
4. Demo
Topics covered:
Execution from the test manager
Orchestrator execution result
Defect reporting
SAP heatmap example with demo
Speaker:
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
Kubernetes & AI - Beauty and the Beast !?! @KCD Istanbul 2024Tobias Schneck
As AI technology is pushing into IT I was wondering myself, as an “infrastructure container kubernetes guy”, how get this fancy AI technology get managed from an infrastructure operational view? Is it possible to apply our lovely cloud native principals as well? What benefit’s both technologies could bring to each other?
Let me take this questions and provide you a short journey through existing deployment models and use cases for AI software. On practical examples, we discuss what cloud/on-premise strategy we may need for applying it to our own infrastructure to get it to work from an enterprise perspective. I want to give an overview about infrastructure requirements and technologies, what could be beneficial or limiting your AI use cases in an enterprise environment. An interactive Demo will give you some insides, what approaches I got already working for real.
Dev Dives: Train smarter, not harder – active learning and UiPath LLMs for do...UiPathCommunity
💥 Speed, accuracy, and scaling – discover the superpowers of GenAI in action with UiPath Document Understanding and Communications Mining™:
See how to accelerate model training and optimize model performance with active learning
Learn about the latest enhancements to out-of-the-box document processing – with little to no training required
Get an exclusive demo of the new family of UiPath LLMs – GenAI models specialized for processing different types of documents and messages
This is a hands-on session specifically designed for automation developers and AI enthusiasts seeking to enhance their knowledge in leveraging the latest intelligent document processing capabilities offered by UiPath.
Speakers:
👨🏫 Andras Palfi, Senior Product Manager, UiPath
👩🏫 Lenka Dulovicova, Product Program Manager, UiPath
Generating a custom Ruby SDK for your web service or Rails API using Smithyg2nightmarescribd
Have you ever wanted a Ruby client API to communicate with your web service? Smithy is a protocol-agnostic language for defining services and SDKs. Smithy Ruby is an implementation of Smithy that generates a Ruby SDK using a Smithy model. In this talk, we will explore Smithy and Smithy Ruby to learn how to generate custom feature-rich SDKs that can communicate with any web service, such as a Rails JSON API.
Software Delivery At the Speed of AI: Inflectra Invests In AI-Powered QualityInflectra
In this insightful webinar, Inflectra explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming software development and testing. Discover how AI-powered tools are revolutionizing every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), from design and prototyping to testing, deployment, and monitoring.
Learn about:
• The Future of Testing: How AI is shifting testing towards verification, analysis, and higher-level skills, while reducing repetitive tasks.
• Test Automation: How AI-powered test case generation, optimization, and self-healing tests are making testing more efficient and effective.
• Visual Testing: Explore the emerging capabilities of AI in visual testing and how it's set to revolutionize UI verification.
• Inflectra's AI Solutions: See demonstrations of Inflectra's cutting-edge AI tools like the ChatGPT plugin and Azure Open AI platform, designed to streamline your testing process.
Whether you're a developer, tester, or QA professional, this webinar will give you valuable insights into how AI is shaping the future of software delivery.
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
Connector Corner: Automate dynamic content and events by pushing a buttonDianaGray10
Here is something new! In our next Connector Corner webinar, we will demonstrate how you can use a single workflow to:
Create a campaign using Mailchimp with merge tags/fields
Send an interactive Slack channel message (using buttons)
Have the message received by managers and peers along with a test email for review
But there’s more:
In a second workflow supporting the same use case, you’ll see:
Your campaign sent to target colleagues for approval
If the “Approve” button is clicked, a Jira/Zendesk ticket is created for the marketing design team
But—if the “Reject” button is pushed, colleagues will be alerted via Slack message
Join us to learn more about this new, human-in-the-loop capability, brought to you by Integration Service connectors.
And...
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Akshay Agnihotri, Product Manager
Charlie Greenberg, Host
Securing your Kubernetes cluster_ a step-by-step guide to success !KatiaHIMEUR1
Today, after several years of existence, an extremely active community and an ultra-dynamic ecosystem, Kubernetes has established itself as the de facto standard in container orchestration. Thanks to a wide range of managed services, it has never been so easy to set up a ready-to-use Kubernetes cluster.
However, this ease of use means that the subject of security in Kubernetes is often left for later, or even neglected. This exposes companies to significant risks.
In this talk, I'll show you step-by-step how to secure your Kubernetes cluster for greater peace of mind and reliability.
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
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Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf
The impacts of lifestyle behavior on
1. Health Informatics-An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.3, No.3, August 2014
THE IMPACTS OF LIFESTYLE BEHAVIOR ON
MEDICARE COSTS: A PANEL DATA ANALYSIS AT
THE STATE LEVEL
Hyungjoon Jeon1, Sang H. Lee2 and David Wyld3
1Department of Tax Management, Changwon National University, Changwon City,
South Korea
2Department of Management and Business Administration, Southeastern Louisiana
University, Hammond, USA
3Department of Management and Business Administration, Southeastern Louisiana
University, Hammond, USA
ABSTRACT
This article is a departure from many prior studies in the literature on Medicare spending in the United
States. Previous works have focused on time-invariant or hereditary demographic characteristics and
congenital health status. In contrast, this study examined state-level variations in Medicare costs per
enrollee with special emphasis on prominent acquired health-related lifestyle attributes that are more
reversible over a short time period. Our main findings are (1) reversible acquired health-related lifestyle
attributes such as smoking and obesity are statistically significant determinants of state-level variations in
Medicare costs; and (2) state-level variations in Medicare spending is elastic with respect to changes in the
prevalence of the two acquired health-related lifestyle attributes.
KEYWORDS
Medicare, Fixed-effects Model, Random-effects Model
1. INTRODUCTION
Since its inception, Medicare has been a health safety net program for people 65 or older and
younger people with certain disabilities. As of July 2013, “nearly 50 million Americans – 15
percent of the nation’s population – depend[ed] on Medicare for their health insurance coverage”
[1]. However, rapidly rising Medicare expenditure, together with increasing life expectancy at
birth, has made Medicare partly perceived as a federal law which is “dependency-shifting rather
than dependency-reducing: mandated dependence of the elderly on the federal government and
taxpayers replaced potential dependence on family and charity” [2, p.310]. While the long-run
budgetary situation for Medicare is a federal fiscal issue of great concern [3, 4, 5], state-level
variations in Medicare costs per enrollee has been another issue of importance for policymakers,
because of the interest in determining whether Medicare is federal program [6].
In the literature on Medicare expenditures, multi-faceted efforts have been made to examine state
level variations in Medicare spending per enrollee. Along the demand-side margin for instance,
several studies focused on geographical variations in Medicare spending and attempted to link
such disparities to observable demographic characteristics, socioeconomic factors, and the
DOI: 10.5121/hiij.2014.3301 1
2. Health Informatics-An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.3, No.3, August 2014
general health status of population across different states [6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]. Those observable
explanatory factors include, but not limited to, age, sex, race, education, income, and self-reported
2
health status.
On the other hand, some studies took a supply-side approach to explaining state level variations
in Medicare spending [6, 11, 13, 14, 15]. These studies controlled for the supply of certain
medical resources or health care market characteristics in a region such as level of managed care
penetration and the number of physicians as a share of older population.
Building upon the existing literature of Medicare spending, this study examines state level
variations in Medicare costs per enrollee using a “large N, small T” panel. The data consists of
observations from 50 states and the District of Columbia (N=51) over the 2003-2010 period
(T=8). This study departs from the existing literature in several ways, which we will detail
forthwith.
First, we place special emphasis on measurable health-related lifestyle attributes at the state level.
Instead of controlling for a more complete set of explanatory variables, which potentially results
in a multicollinearity problem and biased estimation outcomes, we confine explanatory variables
only to the most often-used measure of the standard of living (Gross Domestic Product per capita)
and two of the most prominent health-related lifestyle attributes (prevalence of smoking and level
of obesity in the adult population). The main reasoning behind this approach is straightforward.
Unlike time-invariant or hereditary characteristics, such as sex, race, education, and chronic
health issues, some of the acquired health-related habits are more reversible over a relative short
time period. If state level prevalence of such reversible health-related lifestyle attributes is highly
statistically correlated with state level variations in Medicare costs, this paper will provide
important public health policy implications and strategies for promoting healthier lifestyles.
Second, we presume that state level variations in Medicare spending are also attributed to many
unobserved state-specific or Medicare beneficiary-specific factors. To test this assumption, we
examine regional disparities in Medicare costs per enrollee by fitting panel data regression
models. Then, we attempt to identify an efficient panel estimator by testing whether or not such
health-related lifestyle characteristics are correlated with some unobserved state- or Medicare
beneficiary-specific factors. In addition, this study incorporates nonlinearities into its linear
empirical specification by using a log-log model. This is being done so that regression results are
translated into more lucid policy implications.
The rest of the study is organized as follows. Section 2 discusses explanatory variables and
provides a brief overview of the sample observations at state level. In Section 3, we introduce two
panel data regression models and contrasts the assumptions underlying the two regression models.
Section 4 analyzes the empirical results, and the policy implications of the findings follow in
Section 5.
2. DATA
To explain the variations in Medicare costs per enrollee at state level, this study gathers state-level
information on the standard of living and lifestyle attributes for the 50 states and the District
of Columbia over a time period of eight years (2003-2010). The overall descriptive statistics are
summarized in Table 1. Medicare costs per enrollee at state level (denoted by medicost hereafter),
prevalence of obesity among adults (age 18 and older) at state level (obesity), and prevalence of
3. Health Informatics-An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.3, No.3, August 2014
smoking in the adult population (age 18 and older) at state level (smoking) have been collected
from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Data Hub.
3
Table 1. Descriptive statistics for the sample observations
Variable Mean Std. Dev.* Min* Max* Obs.
medicost† $6660.9 $408.87 $5,684.1 $7,500.6 408
gdppc† $43,049.6 $1,518.2 $33,822.4 $49,040.6 408
smoking 20.096 1.5230 17.0123 23.4703 406
obesity 25.397 1.8890 21.453 29.0573 406
†
medicost and gdppc are measured in 2000 dollars.
*The reported standard deviations, minimums and maximums are all within numbers.
Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Data Hub (http://www.rwjf.org/en/research-publications/
research-features/rwjf-datahub.html) and Bureau of Economic Analysis
(http://www.bea.gov/itable/index.cfm)
First, the source of the data on Medicare costs per enrollee at state level is the Dartmouth Atlas
Project (http://www.dartmouthatlas.org/tools/) which has documented variations in the average
amount of Medicare spending per enrollee in each state for more than 20 years. This study uses
the annual observations of real Medicare costs per enrollee (in constant 2000 dollars) at the state
level from the 2003-2010 time period. Table 2 reports the top 5 states in Medicare costs per
enrollee in 2003, 2005, and 2010, respectively.
Table 2. Top 5 states in Medicare costs per enrollee in 2000 dollars
2003 2005 2010
Louisiana
Louisiana
($8,133.3)
($8,663.0)
Louisiana
($9,243.4)
Texas
($7,138.4)
Texas
($7,819.5)
Florida
($8,789.5)
Florida
($7,131.7)
Florida
($7,661.8)
Texas
($8,782.4)
Oklahoma
($7,088.5)
Oklahoma
($7,608.8)
Mississippi
($8,465.6)
Alabama
($7,027.3)
Mississippi
($7,556.9)
Kentucky
($8,318.2)
Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Data Hub (http://www.rwjf.org/en/research-publications/
research-features/rwjf-datahub.html)
The first measure of health-related lifestyles relates to obesity. The state level estimates of the
prevalence of obesity among adults are based on 2-year averages of the Behavioral Risk Factor
Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) data (http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/). Body Mass Index (BMI) is a
number calculated from a person’s weight and height. BMI provides a reliable indicator of body
fatness for most people and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health
problems. Following the standard weight status categories, the prevalence of obesity is defined as
the percent of adults whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is over 30. Since the observations of obesity
4. Health Informatics-An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.3, No.3, August 2014
among adults at the state level are 2-year averages, this study first fits the 2-year averages of the
prevalence of obesity over the 2003-2010 sample time period, and then uses its annual fitted
values for statistical analysis and inferences. Table 3 reports the top 5 states in prevalence of
obesity among adults in the 2003-2004, 2007-2008, and 2009-2010 time periods, respectively.
4
Table 3. Top 5 states in prevalence of obesity in adult population
2003-2004 2007-2008 2009-2010
Mississippi
Mississippi
(28.81%)
(32.98%)
Mississippi
(34.94%)
Alabama
(28.59%)
Alabama
(31.58%)
Louisiana
(32.82%)
West Virginia
(27.65%)
West Virginia
(31.12%)
Alabama
(32.31%)
Tennessee
(26.11%)
Tennessee
(30.97%)
West Virginia
(32.29%)
Louisiana
(25.88%)
Oklahoma
(29.87%)
Tennessee
(32.27%)
Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Data Hub (http://www.rwjf.org/en/research-publications/
research-features/rwjf-datahub.html)
As a second measure of health-related lifestyle, this study utilizes the prevalence of smoking in
the adult population at state level based on 2-year averages of the Behavioral Risk Factor
Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) data. Smoking prevalence is measured as “the percent of adults
who have smoked 100 or more cigarettes in their lifetime and who currently smoke some days or
every day” (the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Data Hub). As with the state level
obesity measure, the 2-year averages of the prevalence of smoking in the adult population are
fitted over the 2003-2010 sample time period. Table 4 reports the top 5 states in prevalence of
smoking among adults in the 2003-2004, 2007-2008, and 2009-2010 time periods, respectively.
Table 4. Top 5 states in prevalence of smoking in adult population
2003-2004 2007-2008 2009-2010
Kentucky
West Virginia
(29.14%)
(26.70%)
West Virginia
(26.19%)
West Virginia
(27.12%)
Kentucky
(26.69%)
Kentucky
(25.21%)
Tennessee
(25.90%)
Oklahoma
(25.27%)
Oklahoma
(24.57%)
Missouri
(25.64%)
Indiana
(25.08%)
Mississippi
(23.14%)
Oklahoma
(25.61%)
Missouri
(24.73%)
Alabama
(22.22%)
Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Data Hub (http://www.rwjf.org/en/research-publications/
research-features/rwjf-datahub.html)
5. Health Informatics-An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.3, No.3, August 2014
In addition to examining lifestyle attributes across the states, this study takes in account variations
in the standard of living at state level. For the purpose, we control for real Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) per capita released by the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic
Analysis (BEA) for the 2003-2010 sample time period. It is measured in 2000 dollars and denoted
by gdppc.
5
3. REGRESSION MODEL
In order to explain variations in Medicare costs per enrollee at the state level, we define a general
representation which is linear in parameters as follows:
6. where
, an unobserved individual-specific effect,
7. the idiosyncratic
error term, ! , and #$$%! #$ $.
Note that two important assumptions are made in the regression model. First, we incorporate
nonlinearities into the regression using a log-log model in which all variables are measured in
natural logarithm rather than in level. Therefore, each estimated coefficient will be interpreted as
the elasticity of the dependent variable with respect to an explanatory variable. Second, a fixed-effects
model is fitted under the assumption that the unobserved state-level effect () is
correlated with the explanatory variables () but remains constant over time. This assumption is
presumed reasonable in that the unit of observation in the sample is indeed a state or the District
of Columbia and is sufficiently large to allow for a certain degree of heterogeneity. If the
explanatory variables are indeed correlated with the unobserved individual-level effect (), we
will obtain consistent and efficient estimates of the coefficients using the specification of a fixed-effects
panel data model as follows:
' ( (
(
9. (
(2)
Note that some informational loss will occur with the specification of a fixed-effects model as we
lose information on any time-invariant individual-specific characteristics.
However, if the explanatory variables are uncorrelated with the unobserved state-level effect (),
the fixed-effects estimator will no longer be efficient. Instead, a random-effects model will be
more efficient as follows:
*
11. . Both and , in the composite error term (+) are assumed to be mean-zero
processes and homoscedastic [16].
To determine whether or not the explanatory variables are correlated with the unobserved
individual-specific effect, we implement the Hausman test under the null hypothesis (H0) as
follows:
H0: The explanatory variables () are uncorrelated with the unobserved state-level effect ().
12. Health Informatics-An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.3, No.3, August 2014
The Hausman test statistic is estimated to be chi-square (3)=0.37, and the test statistic fails to
reject the null hypothesis that the individual-level effect () is uncorrelated with the explanatory
variables, supporting the specification of a random-effects model.
6
4. REGRESSION RESULTS
Because the fixed-effects estimator is still consistent under the null hypothesis, we report the
estimation results of both fixed-effects and random-effects models in Table 5. Consider first the
estimation results of the random-effects model which was supported by the Hausman test. The
estimated Wald chi-square test statistic, chi-square (3)=3530.88, rejects the null hypothesis that
all the coefficients in the model are zero. Note that the value of the within R-squared from the
random-effects regression is 0.909, meaning that more than 90% of the sample variation in
Medicare costs per enrollee is explained by the explanatory variables. The estimated coefficient
of the variable gdppc (real GDP per capita in 2000 dollars) is negative and statistically significant
at the 0.01 level. It implies that, given attributes of lifestyle, the average Medicare spending per
enrollee at state level declines as the standard of living at state level improves, and vice versa.
As for the attributes of health-related lifestyle, both the estimated coefficients of lifestyle
variables, obesity and smoking, are positively associated with the average Medicare costs per
enrollee at state level and statistically significant at the 0.01 level. Recall that our empirical
specification is a log-log model so that each estimated coefficient is the elasticity of the
dependent variable with respect to an explanatory variable. The estimation results imply that a
one percent decrease in the prevalence of smoking in the adult population leads to about a 1.58
percent reduction in Medicare costs per enrollee at state level. The estimated impact on Medicare
costs per enrollee of the variable obesity is even larger than that of the variable smoking. When
the prevalence of obesity in the adult population decreases by a one percent, the average
Medicare costs per enrollee at state level fall by more than 2.45 percent. Note that Medicare costs
per enrollee at state level are elastic with respect to a change in the variables obesity and smoking,
respectively. Because percentage changes in Medicare costs per enrollee are greater than
percentage changes in a lifestyle variable, this finding provides policy-makers with important
public policy suggestions for advancing health-related lifestyles.
The estimation outcomes of the fixed-effects model are quite consistent with those of the random-effects
model. Although the Hausman test statistic supports the random-effects model over the
fixed-effects model, “it often makes sense to think of each [individual-specific effect] as a
separate intercept to estimate for each cross-sectional unit” [17, p.498]. It is conceivable to
presume that unobserved state-level heterogeneity is present across individual states and the
District of Columbia. The F-test statistic indicates that all the coefficients in the model are
different from zero. All estimated coefficients are statistically significant at the 0.01 level and
their signs are consistent with those in the random-effects model, indicating that the estimation
results are quite robust to the empirical specifications. The variable gdppc is negatively associated
with the Medicare costs per enrollee at state level, implying that, all else being equal, a state with
greater real GDP per capita spends less per Medicare enrollee. The estimated coefficients of the
variables obesity and smoking are positive and statistically significant at the 0.01 level.
Furthermore, the size of the estimated coefficients of the fixed-effects model are almost the same
as those of the random-effects model.
13. Health Informatics-An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.3, No.3, August 2014
7
Table 5. Results of panel data estimation
Dependent variable:
log(medicost)
Fixed-Effects Model
Random-Effects
Model
log(gdppc)
-0.1635***
(0.0342)
-0.1542***
(0.0308)
log(smoking)
1.6105***
(0.2766)
1.5757***
(0.2704)
log(obesity)
2.4899***
(0.2796)
2.4539***
(0.2730)
constant
-2.3443
(1.5921)
-2.2216
(1.5782)
R2 (within) 0.9087 0.9087
F-statistic: (H0: all - $) F(3, 354)=1174.33
F-statistic: (H0: all $) F(50, 354)=303.27
Wald . statistic: (H0: all - $) Wald . %=3530.88
Hausman test Chi-sq (3)=0.37
***indicates statistical significance at the 0.01 level.
5. CONCLUSION
Departing from many prior studies in the literature on Medicare spending which focused on time-invariant
or hereditary demographic characteristics and congenital health status, this study
examined state level variations in Medicare costs per enrollee with special emphasis on prominent
acquired health-related lifestyle attributes that are more reversible over a short time period. We
hypothesize that state level prevalence of reversible health-related lifestyle attributes are highly
statistically correlated with state level variations in Medicare costs and we presume that, if our
hypothesis is correct, it will enhance our understanding of public health policy strategies for
promoting healthier lifestyle. Our main empirical findings are statistically significant and support
our hypothesis, especially in that state level variations in Medicare spending is elastic with
respect to changes in the prevalence of the two reversible acquired health-related lifestyle
attributes – smoking and obesity.
However, this study leaves many important economic and statistical issues unresolved. First, the
observations of acquired health-related habits are not confined to specific age groups, nor are they
reasonably current. For instance, the prevalence of smoking in the adult population includes not
only current smokers but also adults who have smoked 100 or more cigarettes in their lifetime.
Second, based on the findings of the current study, there is a need to further investigate a possible
endogeneity issue. This study examined state level variations in Medicare spending per enrollee,
controlling for health-related lifestyle attributes. However, it is also conceivable that regional
difference in Medicare spending, and thus in benefits, could reversely affects health-related
lifestyle attributes of the program beneficiaries.
14. Health Informatics-An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.3, No.3, August 2014
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