Development and Graphical Illustration of a Data-Based Analysis Combining the Regional Distribution of Patient Cohorts With Availability, Distribution, and Caseload of In- and Outpatient Specialists

OBJECTIVES: The project was based on the launch of a new, innovative drug on the European market, for which the regional distribution of patients and prescribing doctors was unclear. The aim was to analyze healthcare data to identify the distribution of patients across Germany as well as to find out which inpatient and outpatient specialists are relevant for prescribing the drug as well as the localization of these specialists.

METHODS: We divided the methodical part into three milestones: 1) The nationwide analysis of prevalences, 2) The identification and classification of the relevant hospitals and 3) The identification and classification of the relevant outpatient specialists. For 1), we calculated a population-based distribution of the known nationwide prevalence down to the level of German districts and independent cities (total number: 400) To ensure validity, we used two different population databases for the analysis. For 2), together with medical experts, we identified relevant operation and procedure codes for interventions that caused the postoperative development of the relevant disease and thus necessitated the use of the drug. We then analyzed the number of procedures performed per hospital based on the German annual hospital quality reports. For 3), we used the nationwide doctor search, in which we filtered according to the relevant specialist groups.

RESULTS: With the described approach we were able to combine prevalence calculation methods with the combined consideration of provider-specific data and thus create an overarching representation of the healthcare situation surrounding a specific drug. This is presented in an interactive map (can be shown during presentation), which is permanently automatically updated.

CONCLUSIONS: In context of this project, we developed a data-based, self-updating and widely usable interactive tool for understanding specific care situations. This tool can be used for countrywide analysis of indication-specific care landscapes and can be transferred to other countries.