Prospects and problems in using data from HMOs for the study of aging populations and their health care needs.
Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) are providing a larger volume of health care services to older Americans than ever before. HMOs must reexamine the general practice of equating utilization of services with the health care need and collect better population-based information, including measures of health status. This article discusses the data elements that are widely available in HMO data bases as well as those that are predictably missing.
Durham
M L
ML
University of Washington, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Seattle.
D000368:Aged; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods*; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D014481:United States