Assessing the geographical distribution of comorbidity among commercially insured individuals in South Africa.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Comorbidities are strong predictors of current and future healthcare needs and costs; however, comorbidities are not evenly distributed geographically. A growing need has emerged for comorbidity surveillance that can inform decision-making. Comorbidity-derived risk scores are increasingly being used as valuable measures of individual health to describe and explain disease burden in populations.

Methods

This study assessed the geographical distribution of comorbidity and its associated financial implications among commercially insured individuals in South Africa (SA). A retrospective, cross-sectional analysis was performed comparing the geographical distribution of comorbidities for 2.6 million commercially insured individuals over 2016-2017, stratified by geograph

SUBMITTER: Mannie C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7667849 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature