Catastrophic data available

A collection and analysis of 171,000 catastrophic health care claims representing more than $10 billion in payments has been compiled by the Society of Actuaries in Schaumburg, IL.

Some findings in the 307-page study, based on 1991-1992 information, include that:

^{• more men than women were high-cost claimants;}

^{• the highest charges per claimant, $92,264, were for newborns. People over 75 years of age made up the second-highest group, with $61,423;}

The project was conducted by Kyle L. Grazier, PhD, at Cornell University, and sponsored by the Society’s committee of health benefits systems research, and its health section.

Copies of the report, titled Group Medical Insurance Large Claims Data Base Collection and Analysis, are available for $35 from the society’s books department. Telephone: (847) 706-3526. An order form can be downloaded from the Society’s Internet Web site: http://www. soa.org.

The 1997 Health Information Management Systems Society Conference and Exhibition will be held Feb. 16-20 at the San Diego Convention Center. Registration fees range from $390 to $995. For more information contact the Society at 230 E. Ohio St., Suite 600, Chicago, IL 60611-3201. Telephone: (312) 664-HIMSS. E-mail: himss97help@ exporeg.com.

A conference on Clinical Information Systems will be held Jan. 13-14 in Orlando, FL, sponsored by AIC Conferences. For more information contact: Customer Service, AIC Conferences, 50 Broad St., 19th floor, New York, NY 10004. Telephone: (800) 409-4242.