Some Applications of Administrative Data in Health, Plus a Glimpse of the Future

• Activity Number: 51
• Type: Invited
• Date/Time: Sunday, July 31, 2011 : 4:00 PM to 5:50 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Survey Research Methods
• Author(s): Edward J. Sondik*+
• Companies: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Keywords: Federal ; surveys ; administrative ; data ; health ; harmonization

Abstract

Administrative data such as patient records from hospitals, physician offices or insurance companies (eg. Medicare) have been used for decades in health services and clinical research. More recently these records - especially Medicare records - have been crucial in documenting differing care patterns and patient care outcomes. With the challenges facing Federal large-scale health surveys, the use of health administrative data will have a greater role in health research. We have used health records to expand survey information from one point in time data into longitudinal data for applications including estimating the impact of risk factors on health expenditures and future disease. These records also provide the basis for comparative effectiveness research on treatment regimens. These data sources will proliferate as electronic health records expand along with demand for population health data at states and communities. We'll explore how this proliferation of information and its multiple uses could influence the data collected by Federal surveys. And we'll also discuss new roles for data agencies in the creation, evaluation and harmonization of these data sources.