CMS is pleased to announce the availability of the Final version of the Medicare Advantage (MA) (Part C) Encounter Data RIFs for service year 2015. These files are created from data submitted to CMS by Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs) through September, 2018, for services provided to beneficiaries under the Medicare Part C benefit. The MA Encounter Final RIFs include data for six (6) settings: Inpatient (IP), Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF), Home Health (HH), Institutional Outpatient (OP), Carrier and Durable Medical Equipment (DME). An MA Encounter Data User Guide, providing guidance on the use of the files, is available. The files contain beneficiary-level records that can be linked to other RIF data via the Chronic Conditions Data Warehouse (CCW) beneficiary identifier, the CCW Bene_ID. The MA Encounter Data RIFs can be requested through the usual RIF process, found on the Research Data Assistance Center (ResDAC) website.
Updated research request forms and data security approval requirement effective 4/24/23