Charges and charge coverage in the treatment of HIV/AIDS patients in a rural southern state.

In Mississippi it was not known where Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or Acquired Immunodeficiency Disease Syndrome (AIDS) persons receive care, what type of care is available to them, and how care is financed. To ascertain inpatient treatment charges of HIV/AIDS patients, a medical record review was conducted at 10 priority hospitals distributed across Mississippi. One-hundred fifty-six (156) patient records were randomly selected from a population of persons with HIV/AIDS. A total of 3,865 patient days was recorded for all hospitals. Available overall hospital charges per paid day ranged from +401.63 to +1,261.34, with an average charge of +741.65 per day. Average length of stay was 25 days. Average charge per hospitalization per patient totaled +18,541. Concerning source of payment, 44.8% of the patients had private insurance, 29.9% listed Medicaid as their payment source, 7.8% were on Medicare, 1.3% had supplemental insurance, and 16.2% of patients reviewed had no payment source. Based on this review, it is evident that the number of AIDS patients covered by private health insurance will continue to decline and the payment responsibilities will continue to shift to public supported programs. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome brings attention to the weakness of Mississippi's health care financing system and will continue to force consideration of alternative financing mechanisms.

Practice and attitudes of primary care physicians in a rural southern state concerning HIV/AIDS patients.

In preparing for the development of a plan of care for persons with AIDS and other HIV related conditions, the HIV Services Planning Program, a joint effort of the Department of Family Medicine of the University of Mississippi Medical Center and the Bureau of Preventive Health of the Mississippi State Department of Health, conducted a survey of all primary care physicians throughout the state of Mississippi. The purpose of the survey was to determine health care services provided to persons with HIV/AIDS. Specific areas of interest included: (a) type of medical specialty; (b) location of primary practice; (c) services provided for persons with HIV/AIDS; and (d) utilization of universal blood and body fluid precautions, i.e., barrier techniques. Descriptive statistics were utilized in analyzing responses.

Inheritance of the mitral valve prolapse syndrome. Discussion of a three-dimensional penetrance model.

The families of 12 probands with classic mitral valve prolapse were studied for evidence of mitral valve prolapse. Seventy parents, sibs, and progeny were included in the analysis. Forty-seven percent (16 of 34) of progeny were affected compared with 30 percent (3 of 10) of parents. Thirty-eight percent (10 of 26) of sibs were affected. A three-compartmental penetrance model was devised to account for the variation in expression with age. This includes a latent stage (time before onset of signs), an affected stage, and a stage in which the subjects are withdrawn (because of treatment, regression, or death). The implications of this model are discussed.