Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25310524›Full record

ArticleMedical care2014

First in line: prioritizing receipt of Social Security disability benefits based on likelihood of death during adjudication.

Elizabeth K Rasch, Minh Huynh, Pei-Shu Ho, Aaron Heuser, Andrew Houtenville, Leighton Chan

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Medical care, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Automatic health record review to help prioritize gravely ill Social Security disability applicants.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA · 2017
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Elizabeth K Rasch*Epidemiology and Biostatistics Section, Rehabilitation Medicine Department, National Institutes of Health, Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center, Bethesda, MD †Institute on Disability, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH.
Minh Huynh
Pei-Shu Ho
Aaron Heuser
Andrew Houtenville
Leighton Chan

Funding

Analyzing the SSA Disability Evaluation ProcessZIACL060065 · CLC · CLINICAL CENTER · PI CHAN, LEIGHTON · 2009 to 2025
$0k
Intramural NIH HHS ZIA CL060065
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundGiven the complexity of the adjudication process and volume of applications to Social Security Administration's (SSA) disability programs, many individuals with serious medical conditions die while awaiting an application decision. Limitations of traditional survival methods called for a new empirical approach to identify conditions resulting in rapid mortality.

objectiveTo identify health conditions associated with significantly higher mortality than a key reference group among applicants for SSA disability programs. RESEARCH

designWe identified mortality patterns and generated a survival surface for a reference group using conditions already designated for expedited processing. We identified conditions associated with significantly higher mortality than the reference group and prioritized them by the expected likelihood of death during the adjudication process. SUBJECTS: Administrative records of 29 million Social Security disability applicants, who applied for benefits from 1996 to 2007, were analyzed. MEASURES: We computed survival spells from time of onset of disability to death, and from date of application to death. Survival data were organized by entry cohort.

resultsIn our sample, we observed that approximately 42,000 applicants died before a decision was made on their disability claims. We identified 24 conditions with survival profiles comparable with the reference group. Applicants with these conditions were not likely to survive adjudication.

conclusionsOur approach facilitates ongoing revision of the conditions SSA designates for expedited awards and has applicability to other programs where survival profiles are a consideration.

Indexed as

Disability EvaluationAdolescentAdultAgedEligibility DeterminationFemaleHealth PrioritiesHumansMaleMiddle AgedProbabilitySocial SecuritySurvival AnalysisTime FactorsUnited StatesUnited States Social Security Administration

Identifiers

PMID25310524
PMCPMC4196714

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.