title: Group medical claims as a source of information on worker health and potentially work-related diseases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To help address underrecognition of occupational illnesses and support planning of workplace health initiatives.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from Highmark Inc., a health care insurer headquartered in Pittsburgh and Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, was used to calculate age and gender-adjusted rates of 15 diseases by industry and broad industry sector.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant industry differences in disease rates were observed, some corresponding to known differences in workplace risk factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Group medical claims offer timely, relatively low cost, longitudinal data on rates of physician-diagnosed cases and costs of many diseases for large populations. Limitations of medical claims data include inaccuracies in industry coding, lack of occupation codes, and lack of key variables that affect health. Yet, some elevated industry rates suggest potential new targets for wellness programs and evaluation of possible workplace health risks.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies, Cincinnati, OH, USA. PLB4@cdc.gov
authors.forename: P Timothy
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Bushnell
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Landen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007345:Insurance Claim Review / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult