• Kevin J Bennett, Joshua R Mann, and Lijing Ouyang.
• From the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, the Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Medicine and John D. Bower School of Population Health, Jackson, and the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
• South. Med. J. 2019 Jun 1; 112 (6): 349354349-354.

ObjectiveResearch has not examined the use of health care by patients with myotonic muscular dystrophy (MMD), but it would provide insights into this population, which is prone to comorbidities and high service needs. This study is an analysis of this understudied subgroup, using a unique linked dataset to examine the characteristics and healthcare utilization patterns for people with MMD.MethodsThis analysis used 3 South Carolina datasets (2009-2014). The subjects included individuals with at least 1 encounter with an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code of 359.21. The variables included sex, race, visit type, payer, and diagnoses. The analyses examined characteristics and number of encounters.ResultsThe subjects were predominately female, white, and 45 to 64 years old. A total of 44.6% of the study population had at least 1 inpatient visit, whereas 64.2% had at least 1 emergency department visit. A majority of the subjects had at least 1 office visit (55.0%), and most (85.3%) did not have a home health encounter.ConclusionsInvestigation of the reasons for these inpatient and emergency department encounters may be helpful in identifying ways to deliver high-quality care.

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