MATCHING MCBS AND MEDICARE DATA - THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

Survey reports from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) wer e matched to Medicare administrative files to create the 1992 MCBS Cos t and Use file. This file improves on previous MCBS Access-to-Care use r files by representing the entire (ever enrolled) Medicare population and including services not covered by Medicare such as outpatient pre scription drugs and long-term facility care. The matching and reconcil iation process improved the accuracy and completeness of health care u se and cost. For example, Medicare billing data corrected 22 percent o f survey reports that did not record Medicare as a payer and 39 percen t in which the amount was missing.