Description:
In MEPS, a medical condition is defined as a physical or mental health problem that can be identified by a health care professional by examining a patient and using tests. Certain conditions have been designated as priority conditions (PRIOLIST=1) because of their prevalence, expense, or relevance to policy. Some are long-term, life-threatening conditions, such as
cancer,
diabetes,
emphysema,
high cholesterol,
hypertension,
ishemic heart disease, and
stroke. Others are chronic manageable conditions, including
arthritis, and
asthma. Conditions data were collected from household respondents during each round as verbatim text and coded by professional coders using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision.
Medical Conditions Files are available as full year files.