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Telehealth Visit Data, ACEs Data, Opioid Sales, and More Updated on State Health Compare
June 06, 2024:State Health Compare is a user-friendly data tool that allows users to obtain state-level estimates related to health, health care, insurance coverage, health equity, and more. This tool provides interactive maps, graphs, and downloadable data for over 40 measures ranging from telehealth visit data to insurance coverage data to cancer screening data and more.
SHADAC researchers update these measures regularly to provide users with the most up-to-date data available. Recently, 9 measures were updated using a variety of data sources, including the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), Drug Enforcement Administration Automated Reports and Consolidated Ordering System (ARCOS) data, and data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In this post, we will go over each of the updated measures broken down by each data source used.
National Survey of Children’s Health Data (NSCH)
NSCH Data was used to update the Adverse Childhood Experiences measure.
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events that occur during childhood, and include physical and emotional abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction, amongst others. These experiences can have long-term impacts on health and wellness long after childhood.On this measure, updated with 2021-2022 data, users can explore data on the percent of children that have experiences ACEs by race/ethnicity, state, insurance coverage type, number of ACEs, age, and more. Explore the measure here, and learn more about ACEs in our brief titled: The Kids Aren’t Alright: Adverse Childhood Experiences and Implications for Health Equity.
National Health Interview Survey Data (NHIS)
2021-2022 NHIS data was used to update the following measures:
Made Changes to Medical Drugs (NHIS)
‘Made Changes to Medical Drugs’ is defined as the rate of individuals who made changes to medical drugs because of cost during the past twelve months by age for the civilian non-institutionalized population. Asking a medical provider to switch to a cheaper medication, taking less medication than prescribed, skipping dosages, using alternative therapies as a replacement, and delaying refills are all examples of how someone could make changes to medical drugs due to cost. Making changes such as these can have negative impacts on both short- and long-term health.Measuring changes in medical drugs sheds light on cost of care, health care accessibility, and overall health care affordability in the United States. Explore this measure here with breakdowns by state, age, and insurance coverage type.
Trouble Paying Medical Bills (NHIS)
This measure tracks the percentage of people who had trouble paying off their medical bills in the last year. Like the ‘Made Changes to Medical Drugs’ measure, this can help understand and track health care affordability in the United States. This is especially relevant as the United States has some of the highest health care costs in the world.Explore this measure here with breakdowns by state, age, and insurance coverage type.
Had Emergency Department Visit (NHIS)
Visits to the Emergency Department (ED) (also called the Emergency Room) are often costly and, in a surprisingly large number of cases, preventable. It’s estimated that between 13% and 27% of ED visits could be managed in primary care offices, clinics, and/or urgent care centers. Preventable ED visits can be a result of lack of access to primary care physicians or other health care options, a lack of understanding of how the medical system works, poor care management, and more. These visits are more expensive than a primary care visit would be and can affect the overall efficiency of the ED itself for both providers and other patients.
This updated measure on State Health Compare monitors the percentage of people who visit the ED each year. This information can help researchers and policymakers better understand ED utilization to uncover any trends or potential underlying causes resulting in these visits. Explore this measure here with breakdowns by state, age, and insurance coverage type.
Had Telehealth Visit (NHIS)
Telehealth, also called telemedicine, can expand access to care for many individuals and communities. Telehealth services conducted by phone or by video allow individuals to be connected with a health professional when they cannot get an in-person appointment, cannot safely leave their home, or lack transportation to get to an appointment, among a number of other reasons. Access to telehealth was expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic and has remained a popular way to access care.This measure monitors the percentage of people who had a medical appointment by video or phone in the past year. This measure can also be broken down by state, age, and insurance coverage type.
Had Usual Source of Medical Care (NHIS)
When individuals do not have a usual source of medical care, health outcomes can be affected. For example, individuals may not seek care when they have a medical issue, which can result in delayed diagnosis of disease, worsening health conditions, etc. Lacking a usual source of care also means that people may miss out on preventative services and/or recommended screenings (like cancer screenings). They may also seek care in an Emergency Department, which we discussed earlier as being more costly and inefficient for both patients and health professionals.This updated measure on State Health Compare tracks the percentage of people who had a usual source of medical care other than the emergency department in the past year by state, age, and insurance coverage type.
Had General Doctor or Provider Visit (NHIS)
Utilization of health care services with a general doctor or provider is an important health-related behavior – seeing a general doctor allows individuals to obtain information about their health status, receive preventative services & screenings, maintain (or improve) their health and well-being, and respond to health problems with guidance from a professional health care provider. Seeing a provider can also form a relationship between patient and doctor/provider, where the doctor knows and monitors the patient over time.However, as we discussed earlier in this post, there are many barriers that prevent individuals from seeing a general doctor or other health care provider, such as the cost of care, lack of transportation, uninsurance, a distrust of the medical system, or a lack of providers in their area, among others.
This updated measure shows the percentage of people who report having a general doctor or provider visit in the last year. This helps in identifying gaps in health care access among subgroups, including by state, age, and coverage type on State Health Compare.
Drug Enforcement Administration ARCOS Data
DEA ARCOS Data was used to update the ‘Sales of Opioid Painkillers’ measure.
Sales of Opioid Painkillers
The Opioid Epidemic in the United States is widespread and destructive - since 2000, the annual number of overdose deaths from any kind of drug in the U.S. has multiplied nearly six times over, rising from 17,500 to over 106,000 people in 2021. Opioids caused a majority of these deaths, including both legal drugs and illicit drugs like heroin and fentanyl.Opioid painkillers, while oftentimes obtained and used legally to manage pain and chronic illness, are addictive and can lead to substance abuse, overdose, and use of other opioid drugs when prescriptions run out. Understanding sales of these painkillers can help us understand how many people are using these drugs along with where the demand lies amongst various regions and populations.
This updated measure on State Health Compare tracks prescription opioid painkiller (oxycodone and hydrocodone) sales in kilograms per 100,000 people by state and by drug. Explore the updated measure here.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics was used to update the ‘Unemployment Rate’ measure.
Unemployment Rate
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate in the United States peaked at 14.8% in April 2020, which is the highest unemployment rate since 1948 (when unemployment data collection first began). While this rate has decreased since, unemployment rate ranges when examined by state and by subpopulation, like by race/ethnicity. This measure has been updated with 2023 data – explore it here. You can also read our researchers’ analysis of this data in our blog post on Unemployment Rate Trends of the Last 5 years.
Stay Up to Date with the Latest Data
SHADAC researchers are consistently adding and updating each of the measures on State Health Compare as new data is collected and released. To stay up to date on the latest info, check our blog regularly for SHC measure updates like this, or you can sign up for our newsletter to get notified of our newest products and updates.
