Birth defects research. Part A, Clinical and molecular teratology
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Birth Defects Res. Part A Clin. Mol. Teratol. · Dec 2011
Health care expenditures among children with and those without spina bifida enrolled in Medicaid in North Carolina.
National data on health care use among children with special needs are limited and do not address children with spina bifida (SB). One recent study examined health care costs during 2003 among privately insured individuals with SB. Our objective was to compare health care use and expenditures among publicly insured children with SB to children without a major birth defect and among children with SB with and without hydrocephalus. ⋯ Expenditure comparisons by SB subtype are important for targeting health care resources.
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Birth Defects Res. Part A Clin. Mol. Teratol. · Dec 2011
Use of active surveillance methodologies to examine over-reporting of stillbirths on fetal death certificates.
Data from Iowa fetal death certificates (FDCs) suggest that reportable stillbirths (unintended fetal deaths ≥ 20 weeks gestation and/or weighing ≥ 350 grams) occur in about 1 in 200 deliveries. In 2005, the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Iowa Registry for Congenital and Inherited Disorders (IRCID) collaborated with other state stakeholders to establish the Iowa Stillbirth Surveillance Project. The goal of this project was to use population-based, active surveillance methodologies to identify reportable stillbirths delivered by Iowa residents since January 1, 2000. ⋯ These results suggest that over-reporting limits the use of FDCs as a primary ascertainment source for stillbirth surveillance in Iowa. Continued expansion of the IRCID active surveillance methodologies to monitor stillbirths in Iowa is recommended.