Innovative Uses of Administrative Data: Analysis of Medicare Beneficiaries with Sickle Cell Disease

• Activity Number: 508 - Administrative Records and Record Linkage
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Wednesday, August 2, 2017 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Government Statistics Section
• Author(s): Shondelle Wilson-Frederick* and Carla Hodge
• Companies: CMS Office of Minority Health and CMS Office of Minority Health
• Keywords: Sickle cell disease ; Fee-for-Service claims ; Medicare ; healthcare

Abstract

Medicare is a health insurance program that is administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for people age 65 or older, people under age 65 with certain disabilities, and people of all ages with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). A larger number of patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) are living to be age-eligible for Medicare than previously reported. Medical advancements have transformed SCD, a once fatal inherited childhood disease, into a chronic condition with new health challenges for patients. The increasing diversity and aging of the U.S. population heightens the importance of understanding the health needs of the Medicare SCD population. This research will describe how 100% Fee-for-Service claims data were used to produce national prevalence estimates for Medicare, Medicaid, and dually eligible beneficiaries with SCD. Additionally, these findings will promote the development of recommendations to reduce the burden of SCD in the Medicare population and support additional research regarding equitable access to healthcare services for SCD patients.