title: Ventilation tube placement in a managed care population.
abstract: To date, little information is available regarding the actual incidence of ventilation tube placement in a known population of pediatric patients. We evaluated the incidence of ventilation tube placement in a known population of pediatric patients whose health coverage is provided through a large managed care organization. Epidemiological data provided by a large managed care organization on a population of 67,995 children from July 1, 1993, through June 30, 1994, were evaluated. A primary care physician referral to an otolaryngologist was required for assessment, and precertification for ventilation tube placement was obtained using explicit criteria developed by a large national health services utilization review organization. In children younger than 24 months, 30.11% underwent ventilation tube placement compared with an overall incidence of 4.49% for all children younger than 18 years. The details of this study are presented to understand better the implications of the epidemiology of otitis media and how it relates to a physician's participation in a managed care organization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Myer
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: France
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008876:Middle Ear Ventilation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009820:Ohio / Q000453:epidemiology; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*