Biostatistics focuses on the treatment and analysis of data from biological, biomedical, and health-related studies. As you begin your journey into biostatistics, this discussion focuses on its real-world use. As part of federal regulations, states must conduct an external quality review of its contracted Medicaid managed care organizations and prepaid inpatient health plans. For your state or a neighboring state, find the External Quality Review Organization (EQRO) report available on the .gov website.

Review the Advanced Internet Search TechniquesLinks to an external site. resource for more information on how to conduct a web search. (You may wish to include these search terms as you locate the EQRO report for your selected state: external quality review organization, quality improvement, improvement plan, or performance improvement.)

For your initial post, after reviewing the report’s table of contents,

• Locate a section of the report that used statistical methods and summarize the methods and results.
• Include the target subjects or participants and possible cultural factors (e.g., customs, preferences, communication styles, or heritage).
• Include data analysis tools used and how this report can make an impact on health care.
• After reviewing the information, determine why it would be of interest to managed care organizations and the state health organization.
• If you were representing the managed care organization, explain how you would use this information to improve your enrollees’ health status.