Many of the NIH Collaboratory NIH Collaboratory Trials use data from claims and research-identifiable files from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to support their research. We have enhanced the Living Textbook and added new sections to better present the wealth of information on how to acquire, use, and link CMS data for research.
- Acquiring Claims Data and CMS Research Identifiable Files: This section contains information on obtaining CMS research-identifiable files and on the use of Blue Button, a patient portal for Medicare beneficiaries.
- Data Infrastructure for Implementing the PROVEN Trial: In this NIH Collaboratory EHR Workshop video module, Dr. Vince Mor describes the PROVEN trial’s use of electronic health records linked with Medicare claims to measure outcomes of a nursing home–based intervention.
- Inpatient Endpoints in Pragmatic Clinical Trials: This section describes Medicare’s Part A and B definitions for inpatient stay, including the 2-midnight rule for inpatient stays, which states that admissions are payable under Part A if the patient stay crosses 2 midnights. A case study from ICD-Pieces illustrates how inpatient stay definitions affect outcomes measurement.
- Assessing Outcomes: This section contains a case study from the Aspirin Dosing: A Patient-Centric Trial Assessing Benefits and Long-term Effectiveness (ADAPTABLE) and describes techniques for longitudinal data linkage with CMS and other sources for claims.