Specialized therapies by children, correlates of use

描述(由申请人提供)：本项目描述了专门治疗(物理治疗、职业治疗、言语治疗、语言治疗、呼吸治疗和家庭健康)在儿童和患有慢性病和受伤的儿童中的使用模式和相互关系。该项目有三个目标：1)描述患有和不患有慢性病的儿童的专门治疗的使用和支出模式；2)确定儿童使用专门治疗的相关性，包括易患、使能和需要的特点；以及3)了解提供者的使用如何影响使用。该项目将使用来自四个数据来源的数据：全国残疾健康访谈调查、医疗支出小组调查、Medi-Cal资格和遭遇数据的5%样本、加州的按服务收费的医疗补助计划，以及哈佛先锋健康协会的一组儿童。描述性分析将包括检查慢性病和非慢性病儿童的使用模式，了解治疗的绝对和相对支出。这项研究将进一步检查初级和专科提供者作为专门治疗使用预测因素的作用。 该项目将首次全面和系统地描述儿童对专门治疗的使用、支出和预测因素。了解使用和支出的相关性将提供有关使用服务相对丰富的儿童与使用相对稀少服务的儿童的信息。这些信息将帮助健康计划更好地预测未来的使用情况。它将帮助那些可能寻求改变影响亚群体准入的政策的倡导者。这项研究将在有关护理协调和机构间系统的讨论中提供有用的信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project describes patterns and correlates of use of specialized therapies (physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, language therapy, respiratory therapy, and home health) in children and in children with chronic conditions and injuries. The project has three objectives: 1) to describe patterns of use and expenditures for specialized therapies for children with and without chronic conditions, 2) to determine correlates of specialized therapy use among children including predisposing, enabling, and need characteristics, and, 3) to understand how use of providers affects use. The project will use data from four data sources, the National Health Interview Survey on Disability, the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, the 5 percent sample of Medi-Cal eligibility and encounter data, California's fee-for-service Medicaid plan, and a cohort of children in Harvard Vanguard Health Associates. Descriptive analyses will include examining patterns of use among chronically and non-chronically ill children and understanding absolute and relative expenditures of therapies. The study will further examine the role of primary and specialty providers as predictors of specialized therapy use. This project will provide the first comprehensive and systematic description of the use, expenditures, and predictors of specialized therapies by children. Understanding the correlates of use and expenditures will provide information about children who have relatively rich versus relatively sparse use of services. This information will help health plans to better predict future use. It will help advocates who may seek to change policies that influence access for subpopulations. This study will provide useful information in discussions regarding care co-ordination and interagency systems.