Administrative data for public health surveillance and planning.
Electronically available administrative data are increasingly used by public health researchers and planners. The validity of the data source has been established, and its strengths and weaknesses relative to data abstracted from medical records and obtained via survey are documented. Administrative data are available from a variety of state, federal, and private sources and can, in many cases, be combined. As a tool for planning and surveillance, administrative data show great promise: They contain consistent elements, are available in a timely manner, and provide information about large numbers of individuals. Because they are available in an electronic format, they are relatively inexpensive to obtain and use. In the United States, however, there is no administrative data set covering the entire population. Although Medicare provides health care for an estimated 96% of the elderly, age 65 years and older, there is no comparable source for those under 65.
Division of Health Services Research and Policy, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, MMC 97, A365, 420 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA. Virni001@tc.umn.edu
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D006285:Health Planning / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008331:Management Information Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006278:Medicare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D044469:Racial Groups; D011996:Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D014481:United States