Role of data mining in establishing strategic policies for the efficient management of healthcare system – a case study from Washington DC area using retrospective discharge data

Abstract

Many physicians are perplexed with an acute increase in the rate of pregnancies and live birth, and a decrease rate of abortions among the women in the Washington DC area. Healthcare managers are analyzing the admission and discharge data to understand this trend. There are many factors such as marital status, age, income, health problems during pregnancy, insurance coverage and other treatment expenses, existence of psychological and emotional problems, patients experience while stay at hospital, and most importantly the increasing cost of abortion that can lead to this sudden increase in rate of live birth and subsequent decrease in the abortion rate in Washington DC area. The main objective of this study is to study the factors that lead to this increase in the rate of pregnancies and live birth, and decrease in the rate of abortion in the Washington DC area.