NEW Data on Health Disparities and Disability

In recognition of the July 26th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the CMS Office of Minority Health has released two data highlights that examine the health of people with disabilities.   Currently, there is lack of information that describes people with disabilities who also have ESRD. Due to this gap in literature, it is important to describe and understand this unique and vulnerable population. Medicare Fee-For-Service Beneficiaries with Disabilities, by End Stage Renal Disease Status, 2014 examines Medicare beneficiaries who have a disability, with and without End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Some of the findings include: ·         Among the list of other chronic and disabling conditions, Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) and Pressure and Chronic Ulcers were significantly higher among Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities and ESRD (26.2% and 17.9%, respectively) compared to beneficiaries with disabilities and without ESRD (9.7% and 5.2%, respectively). ·         Among hospitalized beneficiaries, Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities and ESRD had higher rates of 30-day hospital readmissions (33.8%) and were high utilizers (32.8%) compared to beneficiaries with disabilities and without ESRD (17.3% and 19.9%, respectively). Does Disability Affect Receipt of Preventive Care Services among Older Medicare Beneficiaries? uses data from the 2013 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey to examine differences in self-reported receipt of preventive care by type of disability for community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 and older. Some of the findings include: ·         Among Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 and older, females reporting any type of disability were less likely to receive mammography screening compared to those reporting no disability. ·         Compared to beneficiaries reporting no disability, receipt of pneumococcal vaccination was consistently higher among beneficiaries ages 65 and older reporting any type of disability. To access these data highlights, visit https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/OMH/research-and-data/information-products/data-highlights/index.html