title: Methods for analyzing health care utilization and costs.
abstract: Important questions about health care are often addressed by studying health care utilization. Utilization data have several characteristics that make them a challenge to analyze. In this paper we discuss sources of information, the statistical properties of utilization data, common analytic methods including the two-part model, and some newly available statistical methods including the generalized linear model. We also address issues of study design and new methods for dealing with censored data. Examples are presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle 98195, USA. pdiehr@biostat.washington.edu
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Diehr
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yanez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ash
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hornbrook
authors.forename: D Y
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015233:Models, Statistical; D014481:United States