Missouri medicine
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To assess change in autism prevalence in Missouri from 1988 until 1995, computerized client registries from the Regional Diagnostic Centers were analyzed. In the five to nine year age group, the prevalence rose thirty fold from 0.15 to 4.8 per 10,000. The study period coincides with the establishment of the Missouri Autism Project suggesting that provision of services will increase the apparent prevalence figures and that autistic disorders were previously underdiagnosed in Missouri.
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Few data exist describing Medicaid's success in providing health care services to people with disabilities. The access to care survey from the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey was used to collect access data from 502 individuals with disabilities in central Missouri receiving Medicaid under fee-for-service reimbursement. ⋯ Provider non-participation, non-coverage of a service, and coverage restrictions were the most frequently cited barriers to obtaining care. Results suggest that people with disabilities have difficulty accessing needed health care services through the Missouri Medicaid fee-for-service system.
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A self-administered questionnaire concerning the current practice of thrombolytic administration, and the use of National Heart Attack Alert Program (NHAAP) guidelines was mailed to the medical directors of Missouri acute care emergency departments (EDs). Responses from 75% of the EDs surveyed were received. There were standing orders to perform an electrocardiogram at 92% of the EDs surveyed. ⋯ Less than half of the EDs reported a door-to-drug time of less than 30 minutes. The primary delay in starting thrombolytic therapy was identified as decision-making on the part of the emergency physician and/or consultants. Missouri EDs report that they generally follow the NHAAP guidelines for rapid identification and treatment of AMI, but, there were still significant delays reported in the administration of thrombolytics.