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CDC Reports That STD Cases Continued to Rise During First Year of COVID-19 Pandemic

by Econometrica, Inc. | Apr 20, 2022 | Econometrica Blog

Sexually transmitted disease (STD) infections in the United States continued to rise in 2020, with cases of gonorrhea and syphilis in particular surpassing their 2019 levels. Apparent declines in total reported STDs early in the year were likely driven by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted STD surveillance and treatment efforts across the country and continues to impact our healthcare system.

According to a report released this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2.4 million cases of STDs were reported in the U.S. in 2020. Congenital syphilis saw the most dramatic increase, with cases rising by almost 15 percent since 2019 and by 235 percent since 2016, while gonorrhea and primary and secondary syphilis cases increased by 10 percent and 7 percent from 2019, respectively. The report also found that some racial and ethnic minority groups, gay and bisexual men, and young people continue to experience higher rates of STDs.

2020 STD surveillance report weekly reported

Reported cases of chlamydia fell by 13 percent, however, while overall STD cases fell dramatically in the early months of 2020. According to the report, these apparent declines were likely driven not by an actual reduction in new infections but rather by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to reductions in STD screenings by providers, caused resource and supply shortages, and led many patients to delay or avoid making healthcare visits.

“There were moments in 2020 when it felt like the world was standing still,” according to Dr. Jonathan Mermin, Director of CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. “But STDs weren’t. The unrelenting momentum of the STD epidemic continued even as STD prevention services were disrupted.”

To read the full CDC report, visit https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/2020/default.htm.

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Econometrica, Inc., is a small business research and management consulting organization based in the greater Washington, DC, metropolitan area. We are committed to improving the human condition by providing high-quality, cost-effective analytics and support that enable our clients to solve the challenges of today’s world. We collaborate with Federal agencies, State and local governments, philanthropic and nonprofit clients, and private-sector partners in the public health, healthcare, data analytics, housing, and finance sectors.

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NEMSIS Is a Valuable Resource for Both EMS Practitioners and Researchers

by Econometrica, Inc. | Apr 14, 2022 | Econometrica Blog

The National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) strives to overcome the problems associated with aggregating complex data collected on the ground from widely dispersed, decentralized sources. The NEMSIS standard creates a uniform structure and language, as well as a central repository, for data reporting from emergency management services (EMS) agencies across the country. NEMSIS is managed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Office of EMS in partnership with the University of Utah, which hosts the Technical Assistance Center.

NEMSIS data cover a large portion of available EMS data in the country; the 2020 dataset contains approximately 43.5 million observations from 12,319 participating agencies from 50 States and territories. Each observation represents an EMS “activation” resulting from an emergency 911 call. In a situation where multiple agencies responded to a particular event, a single patient could be represented in multiple activations. For NEMSIS version 3.5.0, released in 2021, there are 640 data elements which share a common definition across all reporting agencies. Elements of the database include patient and agency information, incident location, patient vitals, injury type, and patient outcome. The NEMSIS data standard consists of three main datasets: EMS (comprised of electronic patient care records), Demographic (which contains information on the reporting agency), and StateDataSet (which contains State-specific information).

NEMSIS not only incorporates the benefits of standardizing these data, but it also allows for significant flexibility at the State and local levels. The standard consists of three levels, allowing for the creation of local, State, and national databases. Data elements are also categorized as mandatory, required, recommended, or optional, giving local-level practitioners and State data managers the opportunity to modify the format to fit their unique needs. Stakeholders at the local and State levels can select which NEMSIS elements, in addition to the national elements, are best suited for measuring patient outcomes the effectiveness of EMS in their areas. States also have the ability to set inclusion criteria for reported as an EMS activation.

Despite its benefits, the NEMSIS database does face several limitations for use in research. While the dataset covers a large portion of available EMS data, it is not a completely representative sample of the entire Nation due to biases in the data reporting process. The NEMSIS Technical Assistance Center states that the database “probably includes a disproportionate number of EMS agencies with the resources and leadership necessary to be an adopter of the NEMSIS standard.” Furthermore, NEMSIS data can suffer from selection bias due to the flexibility afforded to state and local stakeholders. Primarily, differencing inclusion criteria may skew measurements of different types of events when comparing jurisdictions.

Regardless, the NEMSIS data support a wide range of medical and public health research. NEMSIS data have been used to analyze responses related to many types of medical conditions and emergency situations, such as cardiac arrest, strokes, opioid overdoses, behavioral health emergencies, motor vehicle crashes, and Covid-19 mortality. NEMSIS data have also supported research on broader issues such as Medicaid expansion, gun violence, mental health issues stemming from COVID-19, and healthcare disparities in rural and minority communities.

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Econometrica, Inc., is a small business research and management consulting organization based in the greater Washington, DC, metropolitan area. We are committed to improving the human condition by providing high-quality, cost-effective analytics and support that enable our clients to solve the challenges of today’s world. We collaborate with Federal agencies, State and local governments, philanthropic and nonprofit clients, and private-sector partners in the public health, healthcare, data analytics, housing, and finance sectors.

To work with us on your next project, visit us online or email us at Info@EconometricaInc.com. To explore the benefits of working for us, visit our careers page. Follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram.

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NIH Launches a New Scientific Data Sharing Website

by Econometrica, Inc. | Apr 13, 2022 | Econometrica Blog

In its commitment to making the research it funds available to the public, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a new website: NIH Scientific Data Sharing.

On this site, users can find the following information conveyed through step-by-step guides, infographics, and customizable search tools:

- Scientific data from NIH-affiliated repositories.
- Which sharing policies apply to specific types of research.
- How to comply with sharing policies.

This site serves as a central portal to easily search for and access information on NIH-affiliated sharing policies and data repositories. NIH is committed to maximizing the appropriate sharing of scientific data.

There is an easy-to-use decision-making tool to help researchers understand which policies apply to their specific research as well as a tool to help users identify NIH-supported Scientific Data Repositories relevant to their work.

The site is open, and you can now view a 3-minute walk-through of some of the major features. NIH welcomes feedback on the site and will continue to update it with additional resources and training materials, particularly in preparation for the new NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy going into effect for applications due on or after January 25, 2023.

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Econometrica, Inc., is a small business research and management consulting organization based in the greater Washington, DC, metropolitan area. We are committed to improving the human condition by providing high-quality, cost-effective analytics and support that enable our clients to solve the challenges of today’s world. We collaborate with Federal agencies, State and local governments, philanthropic and nonprofit clients, and private-sector partners in the public health, healthcare, data analytics, housing, and finance sectors.

To work with us on your next project, visit us online or email us at Info@EconometricaInc.com. To explore the benefits of working for us, visit our careers page. Follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram.

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New HUD Reports Explore Recent AHS Data

by Econometrica, Inc. | Mar 25, 2022 | Latest News

BETHESDA, MD – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released two new reports about the examining data provided by the American Housing Survey (AHS). The reports, prepared by Econometrica and SP Group, take a deep dive into several aspects of the AHS in recent years.

The AHS, sponsored by HUD and conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, provides information on both the current state of housing inventory and the characteristics of its occupants. Econometrica has provided analytic support on the AHS under several contracts with HUD for nearly two decades.

The first report, The Usefulness of the GUTREHB Variable, evaluates the variable GUTREHB, which was added to the AHS in 2015, and identifies its utility and reliability. This variable sought to identify owner-occupied units that had undergone gut rehabilitation within the previous 10 years.

The authors identified three categories into which problems with the variable fall:

Serious inconsistencies in responses undermine user confidence in the response to GUTREHB for a given unit in any specific survey.
The analysis shows that units with positive responses to GUTREHB have higher renovation costs than those with negative responses to GUTREHB, but the observed costs still appear less than expected.
The AHS collects data on several other variables associated with renovation, but the report found that the relationship between GUTREHB and these other variables is weaker than anticipated.

The second report, Characteristics of HUD-Assisted Renters and Their Units in 2019, uses data from a supplemental survey included in the 2019 AHS and administrative data matching to describe key features of both the rental housing assistance that HUD provided and the households that HUD served. The report analyzes how HUD-assisted rental stock has changed over previous three decades and examines the location of HUD-assisted housing, the quality of the units, and tenant satisfaction.

The report showed that HUD-assisted stock is in fairly good condition, with only 2.4 percent of units severely inadequate in 2017, about the same as unassisted units occupied by very low-income renters.

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Econometrica, Inc., is a small business research and management consulting organization based in the greater Washington, DC, metropolitan area. We are committed to improving the human condition by providing high-quality, cost-effective analytics and support that enable our clients to solve the challenges of today’s world. We collaborate with Federal agencies, State and local governments, philanthropic and nonprofit clients, and private-sector partners in the public health, healthcare, data analytics, housing, and finance sectors.

To work with us on your next project, visit us online or email us at Info@EconometricaInc.com. To explore the benefits of working for us, visit our careers page. Follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram.

CMS OMH Raises Awareness for National Kidney Month

by Econometrica, Inc. | Mar 17, 2022 | Econometrica Blog

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) recognizes National Kidney Month in March by raising awareness about kidney health.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) disproportionately affects some minority populations, including Black Americans (33 percent), American Indian/Alaska Natives (30 percent), and Hispanic Americans (28 percent).

The most common risk factors for CKD are diseases that also more heavily impact these minority populations: diabetes, which causes kidney damage due to excess sugar, and high blood pressure, which causes damage to blood vessels in the kidneys over time.

Kidneys are vital organs that filter waste out of the body. They regulate chemicals and fluid levels in the body, control blood pressure, keep bones healthy, and produce a hormone that triggers red blood cell production.

It is crucial to keep kidneys healthy. Research estimates that more than 1 in 7 adults have CKD and 9 in 10 adults who have CKD do not know that they have it. CKD is a slow-progressing disease and those affected may not have any early symptoms, so screening should be a regular occurrence, especially in those over age 65 and in minority populations.

If left untreated, CKD can eventually cause kidney failure and require a transplant.

On July 10, 2019, President Trump signed an Executive Order dedicated to advancing kidney health. For additional information about this policy, please see Econometrica’s Kidney Health Executive Order Policy Review.

For additional resources from CMS OMH related to kidney health, please visit https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/OMH/equity-initiatives/health-observances.

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Econometrica, Inc., is a small business research and management consulting organization based in the greater Washington, DC, metropolitan area. We are committed to improving the human condition by providing high-quality, cost-effective analytics and support that enable our clients to solve the challenges of today’s world. We collaborate with Federal agencies, State and local governments, philanthropic and nonprofit clients, and private-sector partners in the public health, healthcare, data analytics, housing, and finance sectors.

To work with us on your next project, visit us online or email us at Info@EconometricaInc.com. To explore the benefits of working for us, visit our careers page. Follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram.