County-Level Variation in Prevalence of Multiple Chronic Conditions Among Medicare Beneficiaries, 2012

Lochner KA, Shoff CM. County-Level Variation in Prevalence of Multiple Chronic Conditions Among Medicare Beneficiaries, 2012. Prev Chronic Dis 2015;12:140442. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd12.140442

The number of chronic conditions increase with age: more than two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries 65 years or older have 2 or more chronic conditions, and more than 15% have 6 or more (1,2). People with multiple chronic conditions use more health care services than people who do not have them, and they account for a disproportionate share of health care spending (2,3). The prevalence of multiple chronic conditions varies substantially by state (4); more granular geographic information on multiple chronic conditions can provide a better understanding of the burden of chronic conditions and the implications for local public health programs and resources. The objective of this geographic information system (GIS) analysis was to describe county-level prevalence patterns of Medicare beneficiaries with 6 or more chronic conditions.