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

Provider Variables in Medicare Fee-for-Service and Encounter Data
There are many different provider variables in the Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) Claims and Encounter data. Researchers are often interested in the performing NPI and/or the facility CCN or organizational NPI, but other variables are sometimes…
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Medicare Data Finder and Crosswalk Files
This article provides a link and overview of the document on finder and crosswalk files written by the CMS data distributor, HealthAPT.
Service Tracking Claims in Medicaid T-MSIS Analytic File (TAF) Research Identifiable Files (RIF)
Along with claims at the individual beneficiary (single enrollee/provider/visit) level, state Medicaid programs also submit service tracking claims which record lump sum payments to providers or managed care plans. These data are a new enhancement to the TAF RIF, and researchers have the option of requesting these claims along with TAF claims data. This article describes service tracking claims in TAF RIF data and considerations for researchers.
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 requesting and using the data.
CMS Medicaid Data: Linking Mothers to Infants
This article summarizes two methods available to link mothers and their infants using the MAX data. Frequently researchers using the CMS Medicaid Analytic Extract (MAX) data are looking for ways to link mothers with their infants. Given the available identifiers in MAX data, there are two options.
Medicaid Analytic eXtract Data: Utilization Data for Managed Care Enrollees
This article provides resources for the assessment of the quantity and quality of managed care organization (MCO) encounter data in the Medicaid Analytic eXtract (MAX) files.
MAX Provider Charisteristics File (MAXPC): Linking to Medicare Provider Numbers
This article outlines the provider identification numbers that are available in the MAX files and options for linking to the Medicare Provider Number.
Medicare and Medicaid Statistical and Summary Data
This article provides resources for obtaining statistics and reports related to the Medicare and Medicaid programs and their beneficiaries. The following Medicare/Medicaid statistical and summary data resources address some of the most common requests for this type of information. These are by no means exhaustive.