Research Topics
| B A VirnigSummaryAffiliation: University of Minnesota Country: USA Publications
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Detail Information
Publications
Administrative data for public health surveillance and planningB A Virnig
Division of Health Services Research and Policy, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, MMC 97, A365, 420 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
Annu Rev Public Health 22:213-30. 2001..Although Medicare provides health care for an estimated 96% of the elderly, age 65 years and older, there is no comparable source for those under 65...- Hospice use in Medicare managed care and fee-for-service systemsB A Virnig
Division of Health Services Research and Policy, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, 420 Delaware Street SE, MMC 729, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Am J Manag Care 7:777-86. 2001..Specifically, are use patterns consistent with incentives that might encourage hospice use for MC enrollees and discourage hospice use for FFS enrollees?.. - Hospice use before death: variability across cancer diagnosesBeth A Virnig
Division of Health Services Research and Policy, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
Med Care 40:73-8. 2002..There is little information available about patterns of hospice use before death for patients with a diagnosis of cancer... - Studying radiation therapy using SEER-Medicare-linked dataBeth A Virnig
Division of Health Services Research and Policy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
Med Care 40:IV-49-54. 2002..Numerous studies have used the SEER or Medicare data to assess the use of radiation therapy. However, the completeness of these data has not been evaluated... - Assessing capacity for clinical decisions and research for persons with low English proficiency: ethical and practical challengesBeth A Virnig
Division of Health Services Research and Policy, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, 420 Deleware St. SE (MMC 729, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
HEC Forum 14:235-40. 2002 
Surgery alone is adequate treatment for early stage soft tissue sarcoma of the extremityW B Al-Refaie
Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Minnesota and Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
Br J Surg 97:707-13. 2010..This study assessed the effect of sarcoma treatments on survival outcomes of T1 ESTS in a population-based data set...- The status of radical proctectomy and sphincter-sparing surgery in the United StatesRocco Ricciardi
Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Dis Colon Rectum 50:1119-27; discussion 1126-7. 2007..The rate of sphincter-sparing surgery with reestablishment of intestinal continuity in the general population of the United Stares is unknown... - Medicare-certified home health care: urban-rural differences in utilizationLacey Hartman
University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, Division of Health Policy and Management, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
J Rural Health 23:254-7. 2007..Availability of Medicare-certified home health care (HHC) to rural elders can prevent more expensive institutional care. To date, utilization of HHC by rural elders has not been studied in detail... - Diagnosis of advanced cancer among elderly Medicare and Medicaid patientsCathy J Bradley
Department of Health Administration and Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298 0203, USA
Med Care 45:410-9. 2007..Medicaid is implicated in late-stage cancer diagnoses, which is the primary indicator of a poor prognosis... - Toward a better understanding of the role of geography in intensity of end-of-life care: must we first come to an understanding of end-of-life care?Beth A Virnig
Med Care 45:374-6. 2007 
Postoperative irradiation for rectal cancer increases the risk of small bowel obstruction after surgeryNancy N Baxter
Department of Surgery, St Michael s Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Ann Surg 245:553-9. 2007..To determine the risk of small bowel obstruction (SBO) after irradiation (RT) for rectal cancer..- Trends in the incidence and treatment of parathyroid cancer in the United StatesPeter K Lee
Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
Cancer 109:1736-41. 2007..The objectives of this study were to determine the patterns of disease, treatment trends, and outcomes among patients with parathyroid cancer by using a population-based data source... - Efforts to reduce racial disparities in Medicare managed care must consider the disproportionate effects of geographyBeth A Virnig
Division of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, 420 Delaware St SE, MMC 729 A365 Mayo, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Am J Manag Care 13:51-6. 2007..To examine the impact of geographic variation on racial differences in 7 of 15 Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures that assess the quality of the Medicare managed care program (also known as Medicare+Choice)... - The impact of a change in Medicare reimbursement policy and HEDIS measures on stage at diagnosis among Medicare HMO and fee-for-service female breast cancer patientsElizabeth B Habermann
Division of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Med Care 45:761-6. 2007.... - Increasing use of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy for breast cancer patients: a trend toward more aggressive surgical treatmentTodd M Tuttle
University of Minnesota, Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, 420 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN, USA
J Clin Oncol 25:5203-9. 2007..The purpose of our study was to determine the use and trends of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy in the United States... - Medicaid, Medicare, and the Michigan Tumor Registry: a linkage strategyCathy J Bradley
Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Health Administration and Massey Cancer Center, Grant House, Richmond, VA, USA
Med Decis Making 27:352-63. 2007..This data set serves as a cornerstone of a health outcomes data infrastructure. The methodology described may serve as a model for other researchers seeking to create a similar data set in their state... - Managed care enrollment and chronically disabled women with breast cancerElizabeth B Habermann
Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware St SE, MMC 729, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Am J Manag Care 14:514-20. 2008..To assess whether managed care enrollment or healthcare utilization level among women enrolled in Medicare because of disability affects stage at diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer... - Physician visits, patient comorbidities, and mammography use among elderly colorectal cancer survivorsXinhua Yu
Division of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, MMC 97, 420 Delaware St, S E, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
J Cancer Surviv 1:275-82. 2007..Over a million Americans have survived colorectal cancer. This study examined physician visit patterns, patient comorbidities, and mammography use among colorectal cancer survivors based on the competing demands model... - The impact of Medicare coverage policies on health care utilizationSusan Bartlett Foote
Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware Street, S E, MMC 729, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Health Serv Res 43:1285-301. 2008..To determine whether Medicare coverage policies affect utilization of services in Medicare... - Volume-outcome relationship for coronary artery bypass grafting in an era of decreasing volumeRocco Ricciardi
Department of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Lahey Clinic, Tufts University, 41 Mall Rd, Burlington, MA 01805, USA
Arch Surg 143:338-44; discussion 344. 2008..We hypothesized that the recent reduction in procedure volume for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has led to an increase in the in-hospital mortality rate... - Geographic variation in device use for intertrochanteric hip fracturesMary L Forte
Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, MMC 197, D351 Mayo, 420 Delaware Street S E, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
J Bone Joint Surg Am 90:691-9. 2008..We assessed the degree of geographic variation in use of intramedullary nailing for intertrochanteric femoral fractures among Medicare beneficiaries between 2000 and 2002... - Associating insurance status with cancer stage at diagnosisBeth A Virnig
Lancet Oncol 9:189-91. 2008 - The use of preventive health services among elderly uterine cancer survivorsA Marshall McBean
Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Am J Obstet Gynecol 198:86.e1-8. 2008.... - Access to home-based hospice care for rural populations: Identification of areas lacking serviceBeth A Virnig
School of Public Health, Division of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
J Palliat Med 9:1292-9. 2006..It is established in the literature that persons in rural settings are less likely to use hospice than persons living in urban areas. We examine whether this is due, in part, to a lack of hospice providers serving rural areas... - Measuring breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer screening with medicare claims dataJean L Freeman
Sealy Center on Aging, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555 0460, USA
Med Care 40:IV-36-42. 2002..Medicare claims may be a useful source of data when screening older populations, but they are limited in terms of completeness and the ability to distinguish screening tests from those provided for diagnosis or surveillance... - Utility of the SEER-Medicare data to identify chemotherapy useJoan L Warren
Applied Research Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892 7344
Med Care 40:IV-55-61. 2002..However, the validity and completeness of these data as a source of information has not been established... - Racial variation in quality of care among Medicare+Choice enrolleesBeth A Virnig
Division of Health Services Research and Policy, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, USA
Health Aff (Millwood) 21:224-30. 2002..Asians received equal or better care for all measures. It is important that studies of health care quality include all racial subgroups since the black/white patterns may not apply... - Prevention of perinatal group B streptococcal disease in Minnesota: results from a retrospective cohort study and new prevention guidelinesFolashade Ogunmodede
Acute Disease Investigation and Control Section, MDH, USA
Minn Med 86:40-5. 2003..In August 2002, the CDC published new guidelines that recommend adoption of a universal screening approach to management of perinatal GBS infections... - Racial variation in the control of diabetes among elderly medicare managed care beneficiariesA Marshall McBean
Division of Health Services Research and Policy, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
Diabetes Care 26:3250-6. 2003..To examine racial variation in the poor control of GHb, a GHb value >9.5%, or GHb not tested in 1999 among Medicare beneficiaries aged 65-75 years enrolled in managed care plans... - Trends in the treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ of the breastNancy N Baxter
Division of Surgical Oncology and School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA
J Natl Cancer Inst 96:443-8. 2004..This study was designed to evaluate the use of surgery and radiation therapy in treating DCIS... - Do rural elders have limited access to Medicare hospice services?Beth A Virnig
Division of Health Services Research and Policy, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
J Am Geriatr Soc 52:731-5. 2004..To examine whether there are urban-rural differences in use of the Medicare hospice benefit before death and whether those differences suggest that there is a problem with access to hospice care for rural Medicare beneficiaries... - Improving identification of Hispanic males in Medicare: use of surname matchingRobert O Morgan
Houston Center for Quality of Care and Utilization Studies, Houston Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
Med Care 42:810-6. 2004..This article reports on 2 studies assessing the effectiveness of a Hispanic surname match for improving the accuracy of race/ethnicity codes for elderly males in the Medicare data sets... - Lymph node evaluation in colorectal cancer patients: a population-based studyNancy N Baxter
Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
J Natl Cancer Inst 97:219-25. 2005..We used data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program to determine the proportion of colorectal cancer patients in the United States who receive adequate lymph node evaluation... - Increased risk of rectal cancer after prostate radiation: a population-based studyNancy N Baxter
Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
Gastroenterology 128:819-24. 2005..Radiation therapy for prostate cancer has been associated with an increased rate of pelvic malignancies, particularly bladder cancer. The association between radiation therapy and colorectal cancer has not been established... - External review of health plan denials of mental health services: lessons from MinnesotaSusan Bartlett Foote
Division of Health Services Research and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware Street SE, MMC 729, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Adm Policy Ment Health 34:38-44. 2007..The findings show that the panel reversed only 2.9% of denied claims, suggesting inappropriate denials were rare. However, the panel decisions have made important improvements in contract language and patient communications... - Trends in the incidence of invasive and in situ vulvar carcinomaPatricia L Judson
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women s Health, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
Obstet Gynecol 107:1018-22. 2006..To characterize the incidence of vulvar carcinoma in situ and vulvar cancer over time... - Functional limitations in elderly female cancer survivorsCarol Sweeney
Health Research Center, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
J Natl Cancer Inst 98:521-9. 2006..The elderly population, including many who are long-term cancer survivors, is increasing. Aspects of quality of life in elderly cancer survivors are not well understood... - Risk of pelvic fractures in older women following pelvic irradiationNancy N Baxter
Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA
JAMA 294:2587-93. 2005..Pelvic fractures, including hip fractures, are a major source of morbidity and mortality in older women. Although therapeutic pelvic irradiation could increase the risk of such fractures, this effect has not been studied... - Providing hospice care in rural areas: challenges and strategiesMichelle M Casey
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center, Division of Health Services Research and Policy, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Am J Hosp Palliat Care 22:363-8. 2005..National initiatives to improve end-of-life care need to consider the special challenges faced by rural hospices... - Improved care and outcomes among elderly medicare managed care beneficiaries with diabetesA Marshall McBean
Division of Health Services Research and Policy, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Am J Manag Care 11:213-22. 2005..To examine individual- and plan-level factors related to improved diabetes care and outcomes between 1999 and 2001 among elderly Medicare managed care beneficiaries with diabetes... - A self-assessment tool was reliable in identifying hazards in the homes of eldersRobert O Morgan
The Houston Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center VAMC, Center for Quality of Care and Utilization Studies, TX 77030, USA
J Clin Epidemiol 58:1252-9. 2005..A reliable instrument for self-assessment of home falls hazards would facilitate screening for falls risk. This study examined the reliability of self-assessment of home falls hazards by elderly women... - Low-intensity exercise and reduction of the risk for falls among at-risk eldersRobert O Morgan
Houston Center for Quality of Care and Utilization Studies, VA Medical Center, Texas 77030, USA
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 59:1062-7. 2004..This study evaluated the effect of an easily implemented, low-intensity exercise program on the incidence of falls and the time to first fall among a clinically defined population of elderly men and women... - Using a Spanish surname match to improve identification of Hispanic women in Medicare administrative dataIris I Wei
Houston Center for Quality of Care and Utilization Studies, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center (152, 2002 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Health Serv Res 41:1469-81. 2006..We recommend the addition of a proxy race code in the Medicare data using the Spanish surname match to improve the accuracy of racial/ethnic representation...