The Data Are Now Ready For Use

In order for policymakers to make decisions that will enhance community health, they must be able to measure and monitor changes in the health status of a population. Administrative data provide valuable information for this purpose. 

Information can be appropriately aggregated at the level of the individual, the physician (all care delivered), the hospital, or the population. For population-based analysis, all care received by residents of the study area/region is studied regardless of where it takes place.

Using administrative data, a series of indicators of health status, health care utilization, health care capacity, socioeconomic status, and the ability to cost the delivery of different types of health care, were created. These indicators are commonly used in MCHP’s research to measure population health.