title: Penetration, Completeness, and Representativeness of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD) has been successfully linked to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Medicare database, thereby facilitating comparative effectiveness research and providing information about long-term follow-up and cost. The present study uses this link to determine contemporary completeness, penetration, and representativeness of the STS ACSD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using variables common to both STS and CMS databases, STS operations were linked to CMS data for all CMS coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery hospitalizations discharged between 2000 and 2012, inclusive. For each CMS CABG hospitalization, it was determined whether a matching STS record existed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Center-level penetration (number of CMS sites with at least one matched STS participant divided by the total number of CMS CABG sites) increased from 45% in 2000 to 90% in 2012. In 2012, 973 of 1,081 CMS CABG sites (90%) were linked to an STS site. Patient-level penetration (number of CMS CABG hospitalizations done at STS sites divided by the total number of CMS CABG hospitalizations) increased from 51% in 2000 to 94% in 2012. In 2012, 71,634 of 76,072 CMS CABG hospitalizations (94%) occurred at an STS site. Completeness of case inclusion at STS sites (number of CMS CABG cases at STS sites linked to STS records divided by the total number of CMS CABG cases at STS sites) increased from 88% in 2000 to 98% in 2012. In 2012, 69,213 of 70,932 CMS CABG hospitalizations at STS sites (98%) were linked to an STS record.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Linkage of STS and CMS databases demonstrates high and increasing penetration and completeness of the STS database. Linking STS and CMS data facilitates studying long-term outcomes and costs of cardiothoracic surgery.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins All Children's Heart Institute, All Children's Hospital and Florida Hospital for Children, Saint Petersburg, Tampa, and Orlando, Florida. Electronic address: jeffjacobs@msn.com.
authors.forename: Jeffrey P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Shahian
authors.affiliation: Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Sean M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Vinay
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Badhwar
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado.
authors.forename: Joseph C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Cleveland
authors.affiliation: Starr-Wood Cardiac Group, Portland, Oregon.
authors.forename: Anthony P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Furnary
authors.affiliation: Medical City Dallas Hospital, Baylor University Medical Center Dallas, Dallas, Texas.
authors.forename: Mitchell J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Magee
authors.affiliation: Columbia University, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Kurlansky
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.
authors.forename: J Scott
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Rankin
authors.affiliation: Section of Congenital Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Children's Hospital of Illinois, Peoria, Illinois.
authors.forename: Karl F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Welke
authors.affiliation: Institute for Health Care Research and Improvement, Baylor Health Care System, Dallas, Texas.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Filardo
authors.affiliation: Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Rachel S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Dokholyan
authors.affiliation: Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Eric D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.affiliation: Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: J Matthew
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Brennan
authors.affiliation: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Jane M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.affiliation: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: DeLaine
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.affiliation: University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville, Florida.
authors.forename: Fred H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Prager
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado.
authors.forename: Frederick L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Grover
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000191:economics / Q000601:surgery; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid / Q000191:economics; D006278:Medicare / Q000191:economics; D015233:Models, Statistical; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012955:Societies, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013903:Thoracic Surgery / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States