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Mapping healthcare utilization of people with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias to identify priority areas in the State of South Carolina
Sara Knox, Mary J. Dooley, J. Patrick Johnson, Kit N. Simpson. Alzheimer s & Dementia, 2024-12-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Abstract Background Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD) are a critical healthcare crisis in the State of South Carolina (SC), with over 115,000 individuals diagnosed with ADRD accounting for 11% of South Carolinians aged 65 or over and 52% of South Carolinians aged 85 or over. Exorbitant resources are used to care for these individuals, including $650 million in Medicaid dollars and over 300 million hours of unpaid caregiver time. SC has enacted a statewide plan to address ADRD with the mission of promoting “a comprehensive approach to risk reduction, early detection and diagnosis, high‐quality dementia services, and a coordinated and equitable continuum of care across…” Yet, ADRD does not present uniformly across SC. Heat mapping healthcare utilization of individuals with ADRD across SC provides an opportunity to better understand where resources should be directed to support individuals and caregivers currently coping with ADRD as well as inform future research aimed at risk reduction and disease prevention. Method We used the South Carolina All‐Payer (Hospital and Emergency Department Admissions) Encounter data from the South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office to map the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias at the county level between 2018‐2020. Counties were grouped into five recognized regions of SC, 1) Upstate, 2) Midlands, 3) Coastal, 4) Pee Dee, and 5) Low Country. The Chronic Conditions Warehouse algorithm for ADRD was used to identify ICD‐10 codes for ADRD. Rates per 10,000 were reported. Result The prevalence of ADRD was concentrated in two regions of the state, the Pee Dee region and the Upstate region. The Pee Dee region had the highest rates, with 9 of it’s 11 counties having rates of greater than 500/10,000. The eleven counties in the Upstate region had rates greater than 400/10,000. In the other three regions, counties typically had rates between 170‐ 300/10,000. Conclusion The findings from this study provide clear evidence that there is a greater need for resources to support SC residents with ADRD and their caregivers in the Pee Dee and Upstate regions. Future studies should examine environmental, sociodemographic, and economic factors of these regions that may contribute to increased disease prevalence.
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APA 7th
Knox, S., Dooley, M. J., Johnson, J. P., & Simpson, K. N. (2024). Mapping healthcare utilization of people with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias to identify priority areas in the State of South Carolina. Alzheimer s & Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.093244
Vancouver
Knox S, Dooley MJ, Johnson JP, Simpson KN. Mapping healthcare utilization of people with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias to identify priority areas in the State of South Carolina. Alzheimer s & Dementia. 2024. doi:10.1002/alz.093244.
BibTeX
@article{knox2024-e8a88fa4,
author = {Knox, Sara and Dooley, Mary J. and Johnson, J. Patrick and Simpson, Kit N.},
title = {{Mapping healthcare utilization of people with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias to identify priority areas in the State of South Carolina}},
journal = {Alzheimer s \& Dementia},
year = {2024},
doi = {10.1002/alz.093244},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.093244}
}
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Key findings
- Result The prevalence of ADRD was concentrated in two regions of the state, the Pee Dee region and the Upstate region.
Why it matters
This mapping study found that Alzheimer's disease and related dementias prevalence was concentrated in the Pee Dee and Upstate regions of South Carolina. The work is intended to guide resource allocation and inform future research, not to test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Study details
- Participants115,000
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 37/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer s & Dementia) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Alzheimer s & Dementia: journal h-index 228 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2024 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 4 / 4 | 115,000 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 0 / 7 | Cited 0 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.0 citations a year over 4 year(s) since 2024 |
| Impact for its field and year | 0 / 6 | Cited 0.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Kit N. Simpson: h-index 43 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Medical University of South Carolina: institution h-index 715 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 37 / 100 | — |
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