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Cowper DC, Yu W, Kubal JD, Manheim LM. Methods for Creating a VA Health Care Atlas. Paper presented at: VA HSR&D National Meeting; 2003 Feb 14; Washington, DC.
Objectives: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been used in the health care industry for epidemiological studies, disease tracking, program evaluation, epidemic outbreak investigations, site location and patient distribution analysis, and community needs assessment. VA has electronically captured data for decades and its patient data systems are second to none. The massive amount of data available for analysis, however, can be overwhelming to the researcher, planner or decision maker who needs to translate these data into usable information. The VA Health Care Atlas, using current GIS technology, was funded to provide these data to researchers in a comprehensive resource guide. Methods: Fourteen chapters have been drafted for the Atlas. For each chapter, the data sources are identified. The displayed unit of geography is at the county level. The study team identified patients in each of several disease cohorts by using a disease classification scheme based on methods from Kaiser Permanente and the Clinical Classifications Software developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Utilization data were extracted from the Medical SAS Datasets (PTF and Visit Files). Cost data were obtained from the HERC. The research team relied heavily on GIS tools to create the Atlas. Results: The project team performed secondary data extractions, then displayed existing data in a new, more comprehensive and accessible format. The VA Health Care Atlas currently includes: (1) an overview and location of medical facilities in the VA health care system; (2) a profile of VA’s enrollee population; (3) an examination of overall VA utilization; (4) a depiction of patterns in health care use across the VA by the QUERI disease cohorts; and (5) an examination of geographic variation in costs. Conclusions: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can create, access, integrate, and display geographically relevant information. Moreover, GIS can be used to examine population-level effects of services as reflected in geographic and spatial distribution of populations and allows predictive modeling. Impact: The product from this project will enhance knowledge of VA’s enrolled patient population and their health care needs, and, ultimately, provide background information that will improve the formulation of specific research questions to address those needs.
