AFib in America: State Impact Reports
AFib in America: State Impact Reports is the first-of-its-kind analysis to identify
and record key state level statistics and resources related to the burden of atrial
fibrillation (AFib) across the nation. Developed by AF Stat™: A Call to Action for
Atrial Fibrillation in partnership with The George Washington University School
of Public Health and Health Services, the report is designed to promote awareness
of AFib by providing the most comprehensive assessment of the disease to date.
Study Design and Methodology
Researchers at The George Washington University Medical Center's School of Public
Health and Health Services, Department of Health Policy (GW), developed the AFib in America: State Impact Reports with AF Stat™: A Call to Action for Atrial Fibrillation,
an initiative sponsored by sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC. The State Impact Report has
two components: 1) Analysis of state AFib-related statistics, and 2) Analysis of
state AFib-related programs and resources.50
This analysis sought to address several questions about healthcare service use and
payment patterns of AFib patients for each of the 50 states and the District of
Columbia:
- How many patients used healthcare services – defined as hospital inpatient stays,
hospital outpatient visits, emergency department (E.D.) visits, or physician encounters
– due to AFib?
- How many times did these patients use these various healthcare services due to AFib?
- What were the total expenditures associated with these healthcare services, specifically
due to AFib?
- What was the average AFib expenditure per use for these various services (i.e.,
per inpatient hospital stay, per outpatient or E.D. visit, or per physician encounter)?
- What proportion of E.D. visits due to AFib resulted in an inpatient stay?
- What are the mortality rates among patients with AFib?
- What was the average length of stay (LOS) for hospital inpatient stays due to AFib?
- What co-morbidities are prevalent among patients with AFib?
In order to determine what state AFib-related programs were available at the state
level, GW researchers used the following methodology:
- Reviewed the literature published between 2000 and 2010 to determine whether any
information had been published concerning state efforts related to public awareness
of AFib and whether there are best practices for public health programs for AFib.
- Reviewed materials from Medicare, federal initiatives (CDC, NIH), and state health
departments in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
- Evaluated data sources including standard legal databases, CDC and NIH programs,
and publicly available state program resources.
- Examined all 50 state websites for information.
- Called state health officials to confirm website findings and request any additional
written information that was not available from the state website.
- Identified the essential elements that any comprehensive state (public health) AFib-related
program must include: activities or materials that address research programs, consumer
education, or patient support in the areas of prevention or diagnosis of AFib.
Click here to read the full Methodology of the State Impact Reports
