Utilizing its dataset of medical claims, representing care received by more than 2.2 million people, the Midwest Health Initiative (MHI) has evaluated COVID-19 related utilization trends among Missouri’s commercially insured adults aged 18-64 years from the arrival of COVID-19 in Missouri through the first quarter of 2021. This brief reports trends in testing, diagnoses, and hospitalizations.
Testing: According to data retrieved from the CDC’s COVID-19 Data Tracker, Missouri ranks 34th in the nation for testing.1 MHI’s data showed that over half of Missouri’s commercially insured had received at least one COVID-19 test between March 2020 and February 2021, with testing peaking between November and December of 2020.
COVID-19 Tests per 1,000 Persons, March 2020 – February 2021
57.5% of Missouri’s commercially insured had received at least one COVID-19 test by February 2021. COVID-19 test per 1,000 persons were highest in November and December 2020.
Hospitalizations: Consistent with testing utilization, hospitalizations were highest during the same months. Interestingly, the annual average length-of-stay was 6.6 days. However, patients had a stay of approximately 10 days at the onset of the pandemic, and by February 2021 stayed an average of approximately 5 days.
COVID-19 Inpatient Discharges per 100,000 Persons, March 2020 – February 2021
Inpatient discharges per 100,000 peaked in November 2020.
Diagnosis: COVID-19 diagnoses per 100,000 persons increased with age over the course of the year. Diagnoses were most common among those aged 40-46 years, a departure from national trends that show the highest rates of confirmed COVID-19 rates among those aged 18-29 years during the same period.2 6.9% of MHI’s commercial population in Missouri’s MSAs was diagnosed with COVID-19 during the first year. MO DHSS reports just over 500,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 between March 2020 and February 2021.3 As Missouri’s population is approximately 6 million, the diagnosis rate reported by the Missouri government equates to just over 8%, which included those enrolled in public programs and the uninsured.4 Due to the novel nature of the virus, testing was not readily available and therefore actual cases were likely greater than confirmed in Missouri and nationally.
COVID-19 Diagnoses by Age Group, per 100,000 Persons, March 2020 – February 2021
6.9% of MHI’s commercial population in Missouri’s MSAs was diagnosed with COVID-19 during the first year.
"Graybar, like other employers, has sustained significant effort to support its employees during the pandemic and ensure a safe work environment, both in Missouri and nationwide,” said Beverly Propst, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Graybar Electric Company, Inc. “As we enter 2022, we look forward to collaborating with the MHI and our regional partners to monitor trends and capture lessons learned, which will help us prepare for future threats, and to manage post-pandemic medical spending.”
Stay tuned for the additional insights from MHI’s Chart book COVID-19: Trends in Missouri’s Commercially Insured Population, Year One. For more information about the Midwest Health Initiative and its work please visit our website.
CDC Covid Data tracker. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#cases_tests7day. Accessed December 14, 2021.
CDC Covid Data tracker. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#demographicsovertime. Accessed December 14, 2021.
Data downloads. Data Downloads | COVID-19 Outbreak | Health & Senior Services. https://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus/data/data-download.php. Accessed December 17, 2021
U.S. Census Bureau quickfacts: Missouri. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/MO. Accessed December 17, 2021.
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