title: Administrative data used to identify patients with irritable bowel syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the usefulness of health plan administrative data for identifying patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective study of 442 medical records of patients in nine U.S. health plans, five sets of criteria that used administrative data were used to identify potential IBS patients. Physician reviewers provided an assessment of the likelihood of the diagnosis of IBS being present. IBS was considered to be present if the physician reviewer categorized the case as definite, probable, or possible based on medical record review. Analyses were also performed with cases categorized as possible placed in an "IBS not present" category.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The positive predictive value (PPV) for the five sets of criteria ranged from 63% to 83% with the highest PPV found with one of the most restrictive criteria. When cases characterized as possible were included in the "IBS not present" category, the PPV for each of the five sets of criteria decreased substantially, ranging from 33% to 63%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The PPV of different criteria used to identify patients with IBS from administrative data varies substantially based on the criteria that are used. Use of criteria with a higher PPV may come at the expense of generalizability.
authors.affiliation: Meyers Primary Care Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Fallon Clinic Foundation and Fallon Community Health Plan, 630 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Goff
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Feld
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mahoney
authors.forename: Sarah J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Beaton
authors.forename: Denise M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Boudreau
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.forename: Cynthia L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Hartsfield
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Platt
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Roblin
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Marianne Ulcickas
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Yood
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dodd
authors.forename: Jerry H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Gurwitz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology