Knowledgebase

ResDAC has developed over 100 articles that cover topics ranging from the CMS data request process through using the data for a study. CMS has developed additional resources, including TAF data quality briefs and TAF data quality state snapshots, examining the quality of the Medicaid data.
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Introductory
Articles
Differences between RIF, LDS, and PUF Data Files
CMS offers files from aggregate data to individual person level data. This article describes the differences between the aggregate, public use files, the limited data sets,…
Federal Regulations Governing the Release of CMS Data
This article describes the Federal Regulations that govern the release of CMS data for research.
Strengths and Limitations of CMS Administrative Data in Research
The purpose of this article is to identify 1) common strengths of Medicare and Medicaid administrative data and 2)  broad limitations for researchers to consider when…
Popular
Articles
How to Identify Hospital Claims for Emergency Room Visits in the Medicare Claims Data
This article provides guidance on how to identify hospital emergency room claims from the Medicare files.
Diagnosis and Procedure Coding Resources
Providers that bill Medicare use codes for patient diagnoses and codes for care, equipment, and medications provided. This articles provides resources to identify the codes…
CMS Cell Size Suppression Policy
To describe the CMS cell size suppression policy and provide examples of common scenarios and possible options.

Featured Article

Requirements for Institutional Review Board (IRB) Review and HIPAA Waiver Documentation for RIF DUA Request Submissions
CMS must ensure that all research requests for identifiable (RIF) data have IRB documentation to satisfy the requirements of the Common Rule and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This article describes the requirements…
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Medicare Cost Reports: Revised Forms and Downloadable Data
CMS updated several Medicare cost report forms. As a result, during the year of the transition and up to one year after, the facility will have two separate data downloads, one that includes all the data collected under the old form and another one under the new form. 
Creation of the Fiscal Year Cost Report Files
The Medicare cost report files are created by Fiscal Year. The definition used to create the fiscal year files vary depending on the provider type.
Medicare Cost Report Data: Using Link Specifications in Microsoft Access when Importing Data
When importing Medicare cost reports into Microsoft Access, data users should use the “link specifications” option to ensure that each variable imports with the correct data type.
Linking the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) to Identifiable Data
Occasionally researchers need to obtain identifiable data for MCBS participants, including claims data outside MCBS participation (i.e. before or after the individual participates in the MCBS). This article provides a brief overview of that process.
Medicare Claims and Enrollment Data Linked to Cancer Registry Data
This article provides a brief overview of the SEER-Medicare linked database.
Date Information in the Limited Data Set (LDS) Medicare Claims Files
This article outlines the availability of date of service information for the Limited Data Set (LDS) Medicare claims files.
RIF Medicare Quarterly Data
Researchers may now request Research Identifiable File (RIF) Medicare data on a quarterly basis, in addition to the annual files. Data available on a quarterly basis includes Medicare Research Identifiable FFS claims (Inpatient, Outpatient, Home Health Agency, Hospice, Skilled Nursing Facility, Carrier, and Durable Medical Equipment) and the Master Beneficiary Summary File: Base A/B segment.
Medicare Limited Data Set (LDS) Quarterly Claims and Enrollment Data
CMS began offering quarterly claims and enrollment data with Quarter 3, 2015. This article describes the quarterly data file creation, availability, and pricing.
Differences between MCBS PUF and LDS Data Files
This article is designed to provide a brief overview of the differences between the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Public Use File (PUF) and MCBS Limited Data Set (LDS) files so researchers can decide which file is appropriate for their study needs.
Differences between RIF, LDS, and PUF Data Files
CMS offers files from aggregate data to individual person level data. This article describes the differences between the aggregate, public use files, the limited data sets, and research identifiable files.
Differences between the Inpatient and MedPAR Files
Researchers who are interested in studying inpatient utilization (e.g. hospital stays) have two options: the Inpatient claims file or the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) file. It is important to note that the differences between the two files will vary depending on whether a researcher is interested in the Research Identifiable File (RIF) or Limited Data Set (LDS) versions of the two files.
Medicare Inpatient File, LDS or RIF: Counting Distinct Hospitalizations
Hospitals may submit multiple claims for some hospitalizations. This article provides guidance for counting distinct inpatient hospitalizations and for sequencing claims for each distinct hospitalization found in the Inpatient Research Identifiable File (RIF) and Limited Data Set (LDS) files. This guidance is not applicable to the MedPAR because each record in that file is already a distinct hospitalization.