Coal mining is considered one of the most dangerous and hazardous occupations worldwide. In the U.S., rates of fatal and non-fatal injuries are substantially higher among coal miners as compared to those working in private jobs. Coal miners are at increased risk of both restrictive and obstructive lung diseases such as coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP), progressive massive fibrosis (PMF), rapidly progressive pneumoconiosis (RPP), and COPD. Using the Medicare administrative claims data, Kentucky (KY) Medicaid claims data, and the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), we seek to determine factors related to respiratory health effects among miners and non-miners, assess and compare health care utilization among patients with and without CWP across regions, and map health care utilization of CWP and other lung diseases relative to HRSA-funded Black Lung Clinics. The rate of utilization of these health services is unknown.

Publications

• Estimating Mortality From Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Pneumoconiosis Using Binary Regressions for Spatially Sparse Data
  Journal Article
  Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Date: 02/2022
  This study estimates mortality from coal workers' pneumoconiosis and other pneumoconioses among Medicare beneficiaries using the 5% Medicare Limited Claims Data Set, 2011-2014.
• Estimating the Prevalence and Spatial Clusters of Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis Cases Using Medicare Claims Data, 2011‐2014
  Journal Article
  Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Date: 03/2020
  Workers in the coal mining sector are at increased risk of respiratory diseases, including coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP). We investigated the prevalence of CWP and its association with sociodemographic factors among Medicare beneficiaries. We found evidence of significant spatial clustering of CWP in the states and population analyzed.
• Mortality Among Workers Employed in the Mining Industry in the United States: A 29‐Year Analysis of the National Health Interview Survey—Linked Mortality File, 1986‐2014
  Journal Article
  Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Date: 07/2020
  Working in the mining industry increases the risk of chronic diseases and mortality. We investigated overall and cause‐specific mortality rates among workers employed in the mining sector in the U.S.
• The Prevalence of Chronic Diseases Among Current and Ex-Miners in the United States
  Journal Article
  Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Date: 12/2019
  This paper compares the prevalence and odds of chronic diseases among ex-miners and current miners, adjusting for certain variables that might influence health outcomes. The analysis found that the prevalence of chronic disease is significantly higher among ex-miners.
• Spatial Analysis of Healthcare Utilization Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis and Other Related Pneumoconiosis
  Policy Brief
  Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Date: 04/2021
  Miners risk developing coal workers' pneumoconiosis (black lung disease) and other pneumoconiosis. This study determines, maps, and analyzes the spatial patterns of healthcare utilization among Medicare beneficiaries with black lung disease and other related pneumoconiosis using the Medicare beneficiaries Limited Data Set from 2011-2014.