Keywords: reference intervals, hospitalization data, prescription drugs
Government databases (e.g., NHANES, KID, etc.) can be extremely useful in determining medical issues such as overall health and impact of disease. The structure of these databases necessitates that caution be taken with respect to analyses. In a separate, but somewhat related issue, the impact of public policy on assessing health is of interest. An example of prescription data before and after the rescheduling of hydrocodone in 2014 will be presented.