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The Research Data Assistance Center
The Research Data Assistance Center (ResDAC) provides free assistance to academic and non-profit researchers interested in using Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, and Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) data for research. Primary funding for ResDAC comes from a CMS research contract. ResDAC is a consortium of faculty and staff from the University of Minnesota, Boston University, Dartmouth Medical School, and the Morehouse School of Medicine.
ResDAC offers a number of services for researchers with all levels of experience using or planning to use CMS data. Services include technical data assistance, information on available data resources, and training.
Help Desk
The ResDAC Help Desk, located at the University of Minnesota, provides technical assistance to researchers interested in using CMS data. The ResDAC Help Desk is staffed by Masters-level Technical Advisors (TAs) with extensive knowledge in research methodology and in the application of CMS data for research.
Over the past six years, ResDAC staff have assisted thousands of researchers in identifying CMS data files appropriate for their work, completing CMS data request packets, mastering the technical details of accessing the data, and understanding the results of analyses.
The staff of the ResDAC Help Desk are knowledgeable about the:
- History of the Medicare and Medicaid systems as they relate to research
- Creation of CMS's administrative data files and claims processing systems
- Strengths, weaknesses, and applications of various CMS datasets to health services research
- Methods of cohort identification and data file selection
- Technical file specifications
- Conversion of raw data into usable datasets
- CMS program policies and coverage issues relating to data analysis
- Process of requesting CMS data, including data release privacy regulations
- Use of the Decision Support Access Facility (DSAF) and the Data Extraction
- System (DESY) of the CMS Data Center
The Help Desk can be reached toll-free at (888)9-ResDAC (888-973-7322)
Website Resources
The ResDAC website provides a centralized source of information on CMS datasets including Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, MCBS, and others. Resources on the ResDAC website include:
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) pertaining to CMS programs, data, and surveys
- Data dictionaries, technical briefs, and researcher analysis tools
- Information on upcoming ResDAC workshops
- Health services research statistical links
- Searchable bibliography of research articles using CMS and MCBS data
- CMS data release and privacy information
Training Workshops
ResDAC offers workshops using Medicare and Medicaid data several times
per year at multiple locations across the United States. The two or
three day computer based workshops are aimed at increasing the working
knowledge and practical skills of researchers analyzing various CMS
data files. Information about upcoming workshops is available through
the ResDAC website, www.resdac.umn.edu
.
For more information about technical assistance and workshops,
contact ResDAC:
Via Web - www.resdac.umn.edu
Via e-mail - resdac@umn.edu
Via Phone - 888-9-RESDAC
Via Fax - 612-378-4866
ResDAC Qualifications
ResDAC Faculty and Technical Advisors collectively have decades of
in-depth experience in all aspects of CMS data procurement and
analysis; namely, in requesting data; in reading in data tapes; in the
construction of analytic files, including the development of
person-level data files; in analysis; and in report writing and
publication. Each ResDAC Faculty and Technical Advisor has a
Master's or doctoral degree in areas such as medicine, health
services research, epidemiology, biostatistics, health informatics, or
public health.
Stats and Data Page
If you are seeking further statistical information about CMS programs or populations to use in your research, you will find useful sources here.
For other information about research findings at CMS, visit the Agency's special home page for researchers.
