Title: |
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A Methodological Comparison of Ambulatory Health Care Data Collected in Two National Surveys |
Description: |
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Access and expenditures for health care are critical areas of interest for health services researchers and policy makers. Surveys, administrative data, and other sources that contain health care utilization data used to analyze these issues have varying objectives and data collection methodologies. Consequently, it is important for analysts to understand the strengths and limitations of the particular data source(s) they are using, and not presume that similar estimates or conclusions would result from the use of an alternative data source. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the types of complexities and differences that arise when comparing estimates of health care utilization from different sources. In particular, we compare 2004 data on ambulatory health care utilization (excluding dental care) collected in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) and the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), two nationally representative surveys sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. |
Author(s): |
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Steven R. Machlin and Marc W. Zodet |
Agency: |
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Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality |
540 Gaither Road Rockville, MD 20850