title: Advancing the Use of Administrative Data for Emergency Department Diagnostic Imaging Research.
abstract: Administrative data are critical to describing patterns of use, cost, and appropriateness of imaging in emergency care. These data encompass a range of source materials that have been collected primarily for a nonresearch use: documenting clinical care (e.g., medical records), administering care (e.g., picture archiving and communication systems), or financial transactions (e.g., insurance claims). These data have served as the foundation for large, descriptive studies that have documented the rise and expanded role of diagnostic imaging in the emergency department (ED). This article summarizes the discussions of the breakout session on the use of administrative data for emergency imaging research at the May 2015 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference, "Diagnostic Imaging in the Emergency Department: A Research Agenda to Optimize Utilization." The authors describe the areas where administrative data have been applied to research evaluating the use of diagnostic imaging in the ED, the common sources for these data, and the strengths and limitations of administrative data. Next, the future role of administrative data is examined for answering key research questions in an evolving health system increasingly focused on measuring appropriateness, ensuring quality, and improving value for health spending. This article specifically focuses on four thematic areas: data quality, appropriateness and value, special populations, and policy interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, VA.
authors.forename: Damon R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Kuehl
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Los Angeles County + University of Southern California Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA.
authors.forename: Carl T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Berdahl
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alabama Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.
authors.forename: Tiffany D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT.
authors.forename: Arjun K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Venkatesh
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Section of Emergency Medicine, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO.
authors.forename: Rakesh D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Mistry
authors.affiliation: American College of Radiology, Reston, VA.
authors.forename: Mythreyi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bhargavan-Chatfield
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI.
authors.forename: Neha P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Raukar
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA.
authors.forename: Brendan G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Jeremiah D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Schuur
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI.
authors.forename: Keith E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Kocher
mesh_terms: D003245:Consensus Statements as Topic; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods*; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004635:Emergency Medicine; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006739:Hospital Administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans