Data linkages for research on outcomes of long-term care

Abstract

Medicaid claims were linked with a sample of data gathered for nursing home quality assurance and case mix reimbursement (N = 14,917). This generated patient level records of medical resource use combined with standardized assessments of health and functional status. We describe the linkage process and the characteristics of the combined set of information - its strengths, limitations, and potential uses. The two data sources, one cross-sectional and the other longitudinal, complemented one another and provided a more complete description of patient resource use and health status. However, methodological and ethical issues must be resolved before data linkages are used routinely for research.