Medicare News
| For Immediate Release: | Contact: |
| Tuesday, October 14, 1997 | CMS Office of Public Affairs 202-690-6145 |
For questions about Medicare please call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit www.medicare.gov. |
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HCFA OPENS CENTER TO HELP RESEARCHERS EXPLORE MEDICARE AND MEDICAID DATA FILES
The Health Care Financing Administration announced today that researchers can now get professional, technical assistance on how to use vast Medicare and Medicaid data files through HCFA's new Research Data Assistance Center.
The Assistance Center is designed to increase the number of researchers skilled in using HCFA data for studies of how to improve Medicare and Medicaid. These files contain the complete record of how Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries use health care services. They can show the impact of policy changes, how treatments affect health status, and how patterns of care vary by region, race, or gender.
"Medicare and Medicaid data hold immeasurable value for researchers who want to explore the impact of these essential programs," said HCFA Deputy Administrator Nancy-Ann Min Deparle. "The Assistance Center will help researchers anywhere in the country learn how to use and interpret HCFA data appropriately so they can get the most accurate and insightful results from their work."
Recent examples of research based on HCFA data files include an article showing higher cataract surgery rates for beneficiaries in regular, fee-for-service Medicare than for those in managed care (Journal of the American Medical Association, June 11, 1997). Another suggests poor and minority beneficiaries have higher rates of death and of severe, preventable treatments, such as amputations for diabetics (New England Journal of Medicine, September 12, 1996).
The Assistance Center will field inquiries from investigators, and develop an Outreach and Training program to help researchers learn about the strengths and limitations of HCFA databases. Assistance Center staff will make presentations at national professional meetings and workshops, and develop courses and curricula for use in academic institutions. Training databases and enhanced research databases will be created to facilitate these activities.
More information on the Assistance Center can be found on the HCFA Internet home page, under the "Research and Demonstrations" icon.
The Research Data Assistance Center is being run by a consortium of faculty and research staff from the University of Minnesota, Boston University, and Dartmouth College. It can be contacted at:
University of Minnesota, School of Public Health
D355 Mayo Memorial Building, Box 97
420 Delaware Street, SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0381
Phone 1-888-9ResDAC (888-973-7322)
Fax (612)378-4866
E-Mail RESDAC@TC.UMN.EDU
