Record linkage of health care insurance claims.
OBJECTIVE
This paper provides a detailed description of a method developed for purposes of linking records of individual patients, represented in diverse data sets, across time and geography.


METHODS
The procedure for record linkage has three major components-data standardization, weight estimation, and matching. The proposed method was designed to incorporate a combination of exact and probabilistic matching techniques.


METHODS
The procedure was validated using convergent, divergent, and criterion validity measures.


RESULTS
The output of the process achieved a sensitivity of 92 percent and a specificity that approached 100 percent.


CONCLUSIONS
The procedure is a first step in addressing the current trend toward larger and more complex databases.
Victor
T W
TW
Healthcare Informatics, SmithKline Beecham, Collegeville, Pennsylvania 19426-2990, USA. timothy.w.victor@sbphrd.com
Mera
R M
RM
D006801:Humans; D007345:Insurance Claim Review; D007348:Insurance, Health; D008498:Medical Record Linkage / Q000379:methods*; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D011336:Probability; D012985:Software Design