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Quantifying morbidity burdens and medical utilization of children with intellectual disabilities in Taiwan: a

Wui-Chiang Lee1, Tzeng-Ji Chen

  • 1Department of Medical Affairs and Planning, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, 201, Sec. 2, Shih-Pai Rd., Taipei City 11217, Taiwan, ROC. wclee@vghtpe.gov.tw

Research in Developmental Disabilities
|April 17, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Children with intellectual disability (ID) incur significantly higher medical utilization and costs. Quantifying morbidity burdens using the ACG System aids in planning efficient, high-quality care for these individuals.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Health Services Research
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Intellectual disability (ID) significantly impacts healthcare needs and resource utilization.
  • Understanding the morbidity burden in children with ID is crucial for effective healthcare planning.
  • National health insurance data offers a valuable resource for studying population health trends.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the morbidity burdens of children with intellectual disability (ID) in Taiwan.
  • To examine the association between ID, medical utilization, and healthcare expenditure.
  • To evaluate the utility of the Johns Hopkins Adjusted Clinical Group (ACG) System for assessing morbidity in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a dataset of one million randomly sampled beneficiaries from Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) program (2008-2010).
  • Applied the Johns Hopkins Adjusted Clinical Group (ACG) System to evaluate individual morbidity burdens based on claims data.
  • Analyzed data on age, sex, diagnosis, pharmacy, ambulatory, and inpatient utilization and expenditure.

Main Results:

  • Identified an ID prevalence rate of 0.69% among individuals under 18.
  • Children with ID exhibited significantly higher per capita visits, hospital admissions, pharmacy, and total expenditures compared to their non-ID peers.
  • Morbidity categories within the ID population demonstrated a clear gradient of increasing healthcare costs with higher morbidity levels.

Conclusions:

  • The ACG System effectively quantifies morbidity burdens in children with ID using available claims data.
  • Regular assessment of morbidity and medical utilization is essential for optimizing care delivery for children with ID.
  • Integrated, multidisciplinary care is recommended for addressing the complex health needs of individuals with disabilities and comorbid conditions.

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