Minnesota medicine
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Minnesota hospitals began to assign E-codes (external cause of injury) to hospital discharge data in 1998. It is now possible to describe the epidemiology of medically treated firearm injury (FI) cases in Minnesota by combining hospital discharge data with injury data from other sources. This population-based investigation provides a preliminary epidemiologic description of fatal and nonfatal firearm injuries in children and adolescents in Minnesota during 1998. ⋯ Minnesota's 1998 rates for firearm injury were less than half the 1997 national rate. The state's FI rates show significant disparities by race and region of residence. More FI data will have to be collected over more years to describe and identify trends and multifactor relationships. Policymakers need to ensure that firearm injury continues to be monitored and assessed in Minnesota.
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A new method for assessing the costs of gun injuries to a health system examines data on paid amounts, comprehensive medical expenses, and expenses over time. The authors extracted claims using injury diagnosis codes from billing forms and medical charts. The study demonstrates that a claims database can be used to accurately measure health care costs associated with gun injuries. The study is the first to include gun-related injuries treated in ambulatory care settings and to track actual payments over time.