Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government
Veterans Benefits and Health Care About VA Find a VA Location

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Ascertainment of colonoscopy indication using administrative data.

Fisher DA, Grubber JM, Castor JM, Coffman CJ. Ascertainment of colonoscopy indication using administrative data. Digestive diseases and sciences. 2010 Jun 1; 55(6):1721-5.

Related HSR&D Project(s)

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.    Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions


Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Administrative procedure code data can estimate colonoscopy utilization; however, determining colonoscopy indication is more difficult as procedure codes do not inherently reflect the purpose (screening, surveillance, diagnosis) of the colonoscopy. AIM: To improve the reported sensitivity (70%) and specificity (72%) of a published algorithm for identifying screening colonoscopies using Veterans Health Administration (VHA) administrative data. METHODS: We validated three algorithms for determining colonoscopy indication using medical records as the gold standard in a national sample of 650 patients. Algorithms used International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes. Medical records were manually abstracted using standardized protocols. RESULTS: The best algorithm had 83% sensitivity and 76% specificity for screening indication. Over 99% of colonoscopy CPT codes corresponded to a colonoscopy in the medical record. CONCLUSIONS: VHA procedure codes are very accurate for colonoscopy utilization; however, algorithms to ascertain indication have only moderate accuracy.




Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.