Description
For all home health events (EVENTYPE) where the care provider works for an agency, hospital, or nursing home (SELFAGEN), respondents were asked to identify the type of professional home health worker they saw. HHOTHER reports whether the health care worker is not on the list of professional (skilled) or non-professional (non-skilled) home healthcare workers.
Type of Professional Home Healthcare Workers
- Certified Nursing Assistant (HHCNA)
- Dietician/Nutritionist (HHDIETICN)
- IV or Infusion Therapist (HHIVTHP)
- Medical Doctor (HHMEDLDOC)
- Nurse Practitioner (HHNURSPRACT)
- Occupational Therapist (HHOCCUPTHP)
- Physical Therapist (HHPHYSLTHP)
- Respiratory Therapist (HHRESPTHP)
- Social Worker (HHSOCIALW)
- Speech Therapist (HHSPEECHTHP)
Type of Non-Professional Home Healthcare Workers
- Companion (HHCOMPANN)
- Hospice Worker (HHHOSPICE)
- Home Health/Care Aide (HHAIDE)
- Homemaker/House Cleaner (HHHMEMAKER)
- Nurses Aide (HHNURAIDE)
- Personal Care Attendant (HHPERSONAL)
In 2018, this variable was split into two variables to differentiate between other professional home health care (HHOTHPROF) and other non-professional home health care (HHOTHNONPROF). See (HHCNA) for information about type of professional home healthcare worker variables and (HHCOMPANN) for information about type of non-professional home healthcare worker variables.
IPUMS MEPS reports the universe for each variable based on a thorough review of the original MEPS documentation. Investigating the data may reveal cases that do not meet the stated universe. Users are encouraged to validate universes for their analyses.
Users should be aware that identification of home health providers by household respondents is subjective and not mutually exclusive or collectively exhaustive, which limits the types of estimates that can be made using home health event variables. For instance, respondents may have indicated that a person was seen by more than one home health care worker during a single event, since an event represents a month of services. In addition, the type of insurance a respondent has can influence their identification of the type of home health care worker that provided service; one type of insurance may identify a worker as a personal care attendant while a different type of insurance may identify the same worker as a home care aide.
HHNONEPROF is on the event record (see RECTYPE for more details on the different record types in IPUMS MEPS). Variables offered on the event record through IPUMS MEPS are derived from the dental visits, other medical expenses, hospital inpatient stays, emergency room visits, outpatient visits, office-based medical provider visits, and home health event files provided by AHRQ. Please see our overview of the event, medical conditions, and prescribed medicines variables, including how those variables are offered through IPUMS MEPS, and general considerations to keep in mind when conducting analyses using these variables.
Codes and Frequencies
Availability
- 1996-2017
Weights
- 1996-2017 : PERWEIGHT
