MEPS HC-018: 1997 Medical Conditions
June 2001
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Center for Cost and Financing Studies
2101 East Jefferson Street, Suite 501
Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 594-1406
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. Data Use Agreement
B. Background
1.0 Household Component 2.0 Medical Provider Component 3.0 Insurance Component 4.0 Nursing Home Component 5.0 Survey Management C. Technical and Programming Information 1.0 General Information 2.0 Data File Information 2.1 Codebook Structure 2.2 Reserved Codes 2.3 Codebook Format 2.4 Variable Naming 2.5 File Contents 3.0 Sample Weights and Variance Estimation Variables (WTDPER97-VARPSU97) 3.1 Survey Sample Information 3.2 Sample Weights and Variance Estimation 3.3 Person Level Estimation using this MEPS PUF 3.4 Details on Person Weights Construction 3.5 Variance Estimation 4.0 Merging MEPS Data Files
References
Appendix 1:Variable to Source Crosswalk
Appendix 2: Condition, Procedure and Clinical
Classification Code Frequencies
Appendix 3:Clinical Classification Code to ICD-9 Code Crosswalk
Appendix 4: List of Priority Conditions
A. Data Use Agreement
Individual identifiers have been removed from the micro-data contained in the files on this CD-ROM. Nevertheless, under sections 308 (d) and 903 (c) of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 242m and 42 U.S.C. 299 a-1), data collected by the Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality (AHRQ) and /or the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) may not be used for
any purpose other than for the purpose for which it was supplied; any effort to determine the
identity of any reported cases, is prohibited by law.
Therefore in accordance with the above referenced Federal Statute, it is understood that:
1. No one is to use the data in this data set in any way except for statistical reporting and
analysis; and
2. If the identity of any person or establishment should be discovered inadvertently, then
(a) no use will be made of this knowledge, (b) The Director, Office of Management
AHRQ will be advised of this incident, (c) the information that would identify any
individual or establishment will be safeguarded or destroyed, as requested by AHRQ,
and (d) no one else will be informed of the discovered identity.
3. No one will attempt to link this data set with individually identifiable records from any
data sets other than the Medical Expenditure Panel survey or the National Health
Interview Survey.
By using this data you signify your agreement to comply with the above stated statutorily based
requirements with the knowledge that deliberately making a false statement in any matter within
the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the Federal Government violates 18 U.S.C. 1001
and is punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 or up to 5 years in prison.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality requests that users cite AHRQ and the Medical
Expenditure Panel Survey as the data source in any publications or research based upon these
data. Return To Table Of Contents
B. Background
This documentation describes one in a series of public use files from the Medical Expenditure
Panel Survey (MEPS). The survey provides a new and extensive data set on the use of health
services and health care in the United States.
The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) is conducted to provide nationally representative
estimates of health care use, expenditures, sources of payment, and insurance coverage for the
U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population. MEPS also includes a nationally representative
survey of nursing homes and their residents. MEPS is cosponsored by the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
MEPS comprises four component surveys: the Household Component (HC), the Medical Provider
Component (MPC), the Insurance Component (IC), and the Nursing Home Component (NHC).
The HC is the core survey, and it forms the basis for the MPC sample and part of the IC sample.
The separate NHC sample supplements the other MEPS components. Together these surveys
yield comprehensive data that provide national estimates of the level and distribution of health
care use and expenditures, support health services research, and can be used to assess health care
policy implications.
MEPS is the third in a series of national probability surveys conducted by AHRQ on the financing
and use of medical care in the United States. The National Medical Care Expenditure Survey
(NMCES, also known as NMES-1) was conducted in 1977, the National Medical Expenditure
Survey (NMES-2) in 1987. Beginning in 1996, MEPS continues this series with design
enhancements and efficiencies that provide a more current data resource to capture the changing
dynamics of the health care delivery and insurance system.
The design efficiencies incorporated into MEPS are in accordance with the Department of Health
and Human Services (DHHS) Survey Integration Plan of June 1995, which focused on
consolidating DHHS surveys, achieving cost efficiencies, reducing respondent burden, and
enhancing analytical capacities. To accommodate these goals, new MEPS design features include
linkage with the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), from which the sampling frame for the
MEPS HC is drawn, and continuous longitudinal data collection for core survey components. The
MEPS HC augments NHIS by selecting a sample of NHIS respondents, collecting additional data
on their health care expenditures, and linking these data with additional information collected
from the respondents' medical providers, employers, and insurance providers. Return To Table Of Contents
1.0 Household Component
The MEPS HC, a nationally representative survey of the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized
population, collects medical expenditure data at both the person and household levels. The HC
collects detailed data on demographic characteristics, health conditions, health status, use of
medical care services, charges and payments, access to care, satisfaction with care, health
insurance coverage, income, and employment.
The HC uses an overlapping panel design in which data are collected through a preliminary
contact followed by a series of five rounds of interviews over a 2 ½-year period. Using computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) technology, data on medical expenditures and use for 2
calendar years are collected from each household. This series of data collection rounds is
launched each subsequent year on a new sample of households to provide overlapping panels of
survey data and, when combined with other ongoing panels, will provide continuous and current
estimates of health care expenditures.
The sampling frame for the MEPS HC is drawn from respondents to NHIS, conducted by NCHS.
NHIS provides a nationally representative sample of the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized
population, with oversampling of Hispanics and blacks. Return To Table Of Contents
2.0 Medical Provider Component
The MEPS MPC supplements and validates information on medical care events reported in the
MEPS HC by contacting medical providers and pharmacies identified by household respondents.
The MPC sample includes all hospitals, hospital physicians, home health agencies, and
pharmacies reported in the HC. Also included in the MPC are all office-based physicians:
- Providing care for HC respondents receiving Medicaid.
- Associated with a 75-percent sample of HC households receiving care through an HMO
(health maintenance organization) or managed care plan.
- Associated with a 25-percent sample of the remaining HC households.
Data are collected on medical and financial characteristics of medical and pharmacy events
reported by HC respondents, including:
- Diagnoses coded according to ICD-9-CM (9th Revision, International Classification of
Diseases) and DSM-IV (Fourth Edition, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders).
- Physician procedure codes classified by CPT-4 (Common Procedure Terminology,
Version 4).
- Inpatient stay codes classified by DRGs (diagnosis-related groups).
- Prescriptions coded by national drug code (NDC), medication names, strength, and
quantity dispensed.
- Charges, payments, and the reasons for any difference between charges and payments.
The MPC is conducted through telephone interviews and mailed survey materials. Return To Table Of Contents
3.0 Insurance Component
The MEPS IC collects data on health insurance plans obtained through employers, unions, and
other sources of private health insurance. Data obtained in the IC include the number and types of
private insurance plans offered, benefits associated with these plans, premiums, contributions by
employers and employees, eligibility requirements, and employer characteristics.
Establishments participating in the MEPS IC are selected through four sampling frames:
- A list of employers or other insurance providers identified by MEPS HC respondents who
report having private health insurance at the Round 1 interview.
- A Bureau of the Census list frame of private sector business establishments.
- The Census of Governments from Bureau of the Census.
- An Internal Revenue Service list of the self-employed.
To provide an integrated picture of health insurance, data collected from the first sampling frame
(employers and insurance providers) are linked back to data provided by the MEPS HC
respondents. Data from the other three sampling frames are collected to provide annual national
and State estimates of the supply of private health insurance available to American workers and to
evaluate policy issues pertaining to health insurance.
The MEPS IC is an annual panel survey. Data are collected from the selected organizations
through a prescreening telephone interview, a mailed questionnaire, and a telephone follow up for
nonrespondents. Return To Table Of Contents
4.0 Nursing Home Component
The 1996 MEPS NHC was a survey of nursing homes and persons residing in or admitted to
nursing homes at any time during calendar year 1996. The NHC gathered information on the
demographic characteristics, residence history, health and functional status, use of services, use of
prescription medications, and health care expenditures of nursing home residents. Nursing home
administrators and designated staff also provided information on facility size, ownership,
certification status, services provided, revenues and expenses, and other facility characteristics.
Data on the income, assets, family relationships, and care-giving services for sampled nursing
home residents were obtained from next-of-kin or other knowledgeable persons in the community.
The 1996 MEPS NHC sample was selected using a two-stage stratified probability design. In the
first stage, facilities were selected; in the second stage, facility residents were sampled, selecting
both persons in residence on January 1, 1996, and those admitted during the period January 1
through December 31.
The sample frame for facilities was derived from the National Health Provider Inventory, which is
updated periodically by NCHS. The MEPS NHC data were collected in person in three rounds of
data collection over a 1 ½-year period using the CAPI system. Community data were collected by
telephone using computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) technology. At the end of three
rounds of data collection, the sample consists of approximately 815 responding facilities, 3,100
residents in the facility on January 1, and 2,200 eligible residents admitted during 1996. Return To Table Of Contents
5.0 Survey Management
MEPS data are collected under the authority of the Public Health Service Act. They are edited and
published in accordance with the confidentiality provisions of this act and the Privacy Act. NCHS
provides consultation and technical assistance.
As soon as data collection and editing are completed, the MEPS survey data are released to the
public in staged releases of summary reports and microdata files. Summary reports are released as
printed documents and electronic files. Microdata files are released on CD-ROM and/or as
electronic files. A catalog of all MEPS products released to date is provided in Section F of this
document.
Printed documents and CD-ROMs are available through the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse.
Write or call:
AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse
Attn: (publication number)
P.O. Box 8547
Silver Spring, MD 20907
800/358-9295
410/381-3150 (callers outside the United States only)
888/586-6340 (toll-free TDD service; hearing impaired only)
Be sure to specify the AHRQ number of the document or CD-ROM you are requesting. Selected
electronic files are available from the Internet on the MEPS home page: http://www.meps.AHRQ.gov.
Additional information on MEPS is available from the MEPS project manager or the MEPS
public use data manager at the Center for Cost and Financing Studies, Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality. Return To Table Of Contents
C. Technical and Programming Information
1.0 General Information
This documentation describes the data contained in MEPS Public Use Release HC-018, which is
one in a series of public use data files to be released from 1997 of the Medical Expenditure Panel
Survey Household Component (MEPS HC).
Released in ASCII and SAS formats, this public use file provides information on household-reported medical conditions collected on a nationally representative sample of the civilian
noninstitutionalized population of the United States for 1997 MEPS HC. (See Section 3.0 ??)
This file contains 109,859 records. Each record represents one household-reported medical
condition reported in the 1997 portion of Round 3 and Rounds 4 and 5 for Panel 1, as well as
Rounds 1 and 2 and the 1997 portion of Round 3 for Panel 2 (i.e., Rounds for MEPS panels
covering calendar year 1997).
The following documentation offers a brief overview of the types and levels of data provided, the
content and structure of the files and the codebook (provided as file H18CB.PDF). (CODEBOOK
NOW IN SEPARATE FILE; PROGRAMMING INFO ONLY IN README FILE) It contains
the following sections:
Data File Information
Survey Sample Information
Merging MEPS Data Files
Appendices
Variable to Source Crosswalk
Detailed ICD-9 Condition, Procedure, and Clinical Classification Code Frequencies
Clinical Classification Codes to ICD-9 Crosswalk
List of Priority Conditions
Catalog of MEPS Data Products
For more information on MEPS survey design see Cohen , 1997; Cohen, 1997; and Cohen 1996.
A copy of the survey instrument used to collect this information on this file is available on the
MEPS web site: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov Return To Table Of Contents
2.0 Data File Information
This file contains 109,859 records. Each record represents one household-reported medical
condition reported in the 1997 portion of Round 3 and Rounds 4 and 5 for Panel 1, as well as
Rounds 1 and 2 and the 1997 portion of Round 3 for Panel 2 (i.e., Rounds for MEPS panels
covering calendar year 1997). Records included on this file met criterion 1 below and one of
criteria 2 - 5:
- The condition is reported by a household survey respondent residing in an eligible
responding household.
- The condition is reported during Rounds 4 and 5 of Panel 1 or Rounds 1 and 2 of Panel 2;
or
- The condition was identified as a priority condition in Panel 1 Rounds 1 or 2 (limited data
are available on this file for these records, see Section 2.5.2 for details); or
- The condition is reported in Round 3 of Panel 1 and links to a 1997 medical provider visit
or a medication prescribed in 1997; or
- The condition is reported in Round 3 of Panel 2 and links to a 1997 medical provider visit
or a medicine prescribed in 1997; or
- The condition is reported in Round 3 for either Panel 1 or Panel 2, does not link to a 1997
medical provider visit or a medication prescribed in 1997, and 50 percent or more of a
respondent's reference period occurred in 1997.
For each variable on the file, both weighted and unweighted frequencies are provided in the
codebook. Because the conditions identified in this file are derived from self-reports, these data
cannot be used to make estimates of disease, prevalence of health conditions, or
mortality/morbidity.
Data from this file can be merged with 1997 MEPS person-level data using DUPERSID to
append person-level characteristics such as demographic or health insurance characteristics to
each record (see Section 4.0 for details). Data from this file can also be merged to 1997 MEPS
Medical Provider Event Files (HC-016A, HC-016B, HC-016D through HC-016H) by using the
link files provided on HC-016I, File 1 (see HC-016I for details). Since each record represents a
single condition reported by household respondents, some household respondents may have
multiple medical conditions and thus will be represented in multiple records on this file. Other
household respondents may have reported no medical conditions and thus will have no records on
this file. Return To Table Of Contents
2.1 Codebook Structure
The codebook and data file sequence lists variables in the following order:
Unique person identifiers
Unique condition identifiers
Survey administration variables
Medical condition variables
Weight and variance estimation variables Return To Table Of Contents
2.2 Reserved Codes
The following reserved code values are used:
Value Definition
-1 INAPPLICABLE Question was not asked due to skip pattern.
-3 NO DATA IN ROUND Person has no data in round.
-7 REFUSED Question was asked and respondent refused to
answer question.
-8 DK Question was asked and respondent did not know
answer.
-9 NOT ASCERTAINED Interviewer did not record the data.
-11 NOT A PRIORITY/INJURY Condition was not a priority or injury condition
CONDITION (defined below). Consequently, questions targeted
for priority conditions and injuries were not asked.
-12 CONDITION NOT Priority/injury condition not associated with medical
SELECTED IN ROUND event or disability day; specific questions for priority
or injury conditions not asked in current round.
Generally, -1, -7, -8, and -9 have not been edited on this file. The values of -1 and -9 can be
edited by analysts by following the skip patterns in the questionnaire. The -12 code is used for
priority/injury conditions for rounds prior to the first mention of the condition, or for
rounds after the one in which the condition was first mentioned. Return To Table Of Contents
2.3 Codebook Format
This codebook describes an ASCII data set and provides the following programing identifiers for
each variable:
Identifier Description
Name Variable name (maximum of 8 characters)
Description Variable descriptor (maximum 40 characters)
Format Number of bytes
Type Type of data: numeric (indicated by NUM) or character (indicated
by CHAR)
Start Beginning column position of variable in record
End Ending column position of variable in record Return To Table Of Contents
2.4 Variable Naming
In general, variable names reflect the content of the variable, with an 8 character limitation.
For questions asked in a specific Round, the end digit in the variable name reflects the Round in
which the question was asked. Edited variables end in an "X"and are so noted in the variable
label.
Variables contained in this delivery were derived either from the questionnaire itself or from the
CAPI. The source of each variable is identified in Appendix 1 entitled "Variable to Source
Crosswalk." Sources for each variable are indicated in one of four ways: (1) variables which are
derived from CAPI or assigned in sampling are so indicated; (2) variables derived from complex
algorithms associated with re-enumeration are labeled "RE Section"; (3) variables which come
from one or more specific questions have those numbers and questionnaire section indicated in
the "Source" column; (4) variables constructed from multiple questions using complex algorithms
are labeled "Constructed" in the "SOURCE" column. Return To Table Of Contents
2.5 File Contents
2.5.1 Identifier Variables
(DUID-CONDRN)
The definitions of Dwelling Units (DUs) and Group Quarters in the MEPS-HC is generally
consistent with the definitions employed for the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The
dwelling unit ID (DUID) is a five-digit random number assigned after the case was sampled for
MEPS. The person number (PID) uniquely identifies each person within the dwelling unit. The
variable DUPERSID uniquely identifies each person represented on the file, and is the
combination of the variables DUID and PID. CONDN indicates the condition number of each
condition for an individual respondent (e.g., condition number 1, 2, 3, etc.) plus a control digit.
The number of conditions for persons represented on this file ranges from 1 to 53. CONDIDX
uniquely identifies each condition (i.e., each record on the file), and is the combination of
DUPERSID and CONDN.
CONDRN indicates the round in which the condition was first reported. For a small number of
cases, conditions that actually began in an earlier round were not reported by respondents until
subsequent rounds of data collection. For these cases no editing was performed to reconcile the
round in which a condition began and the round that the condition was first reported.
PANEL97 is a constructed variable used to specify the panel number for the interview. PANEL97
will indicate either Panel 1 or Panel 2. Return To Table Of Contents
2.5.2 Medical Condition Variables
(PRIOLIST-CCCODEX)
This file contains variables describing medical conditions reported by respondents in several sections
of the MEPS questionnaire, including the Condition Enumeration Section, Health Status Section, and
all questionnaire sections collecting information about health provider visits, prescription
medications, and disability days (see Variable-Source Crosswalk in Appendix 1 for details).
Priority Conditions and Injuries
Certain conditions were a priori designated as "priority conditions" (PRIOLIST=1) due to their
prevalence, expense, or relevance to policy. Some were long-term life-threatening conditions,
such as cancer, diabetes, emphysema, high cholesterol, HIV/AIDS, hypertension, ischemic heart
disease, and stroke. Others were chronic manageable conditions, including arthritis, asthma, gall
bladder disease, stomach ulcers, and back problems of any kind. In addition, Alzheimer's disease
or other dementias, as well as depression and anxiety disorders, were included in the priority list.
For a complete listing of "priority conditions" see Appendix 4. Priority conditions were
identified as such in the field by MEPS interviewers. Occasionally errors were made and not all
priority conditions were identified. Consequently, these records are missing the follow-up
questions described below. Likewise, some conditions were inaccurately identified as priority
conditions. These records do have follow-up questions even though they are not priority
conditions.
When a condition was first mentioned, respondents were asked whether it was due to an accident
or an injury (INJURY= 1). Some injuries are also priority conditions (e.g. back pain).
Date Priority Condition Began/Accident Occurred
The date a priority condition began (CONDBEGD, CONDBEGM, CONDBEGY) is collected
only for conditions that appear on the priority list. The date an accident or injury occurred
(ACCDENTD, ACCDENTM, ACCDENTY) is collected only for accident/injury conditions.
Round Specific Questions for Priority Conditions and Injuries
When a respondent first reported a condition on the priority list (PRIOLIST=1) or a condition
caused by an injury (INJURY=1) a series of questions regarding health care utilization for that
condition and the effect of that condition on the person's overall health was asked. The names of
these variables end in 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 indicating the round in which they were asked. The following
questions were asked in the round in which the respondent first reported a priority condition or a
condition resulting from an injury:
a. whether the respondent ever saw or talked to a doctor about the condition
(SEEDREV1- SEEDREV5).
b. whether the latest time a doctor was seen for this condition was before or after the
beginning of the reference period for the interview Round (LSTSAW1X- LSTSAW3X).
This question was asked only in Round 1 for Panel 2; it was asked only in Rounds 1-3 for
Panel 1.
c. whether the person was still being treated for the condition (STILTR1X- STILTR5X).
d. how seriously the condition affected the person's overall health and well-being since it
began (OVRALL1X- OVRALL5X).
e. whether the person with the condition himself/herself provided the information, versus
being reported by another household member (WHOTYP1X- WHOTYP5X).
d. whether the health care provider recommended further treatment or consultation for
the condition (FURTCA1X- FURTCA5X).
e. how much follow-up care the person received for the condition (all; some; none; or still
being treated) (FOLOCA1X- FOLOCA5X).
f. whether the person saw or talked to a doctor about the condition during the reference
period (SEEDREF1- SEEDREF5). This variable was constructed for priority conditions
only.
When a respondent reported a condition that resulted from an accident or injury (INJURY=1) the
following information was obtained from respondents during the round in which the injury was
first reported:
a. whether or not the accident/injury occurred at work (ACCDNWRK) respondents
aged 16 and younger were not asked this question and are coded ACCDNWRK = -1;
b. where the accident happened (ACDNTLOC);
c. if the accident/injury occurred at home, was it inside or outside the house
(INOUTHH);
d. whether or not the accident involved a motor vehicle, gun, weapon other than gun,
poison, fire, drowning or near-drowning, sports injury, a fall, something else
(VEHICLE, GUN, WEAPON, POISON, FIREBURN, DROWN, SPORTS, FALL,
ACDNTOTH);
e. whether or not the person has fully recovered from the injury (RECOVER);
For priority conditions only, additional information was obtained in rounds subsequent to the one
in which the condition was first mentioned. This information was obtained only if there was an
medical provider visit or a prescribed medication or a disability day associated with the condition
in that round. If this occurred, the condition was "selected" for the round. The variables
SELECTR2 - SELECT5 indicate whether or not a priority condition reported in a previous round
was associated with a medical provider event or a disability day and therefore "selected" for
follow-up questions for priority conditions in Rounds 3, 4 or 5 for Panel 1 or Rounds 2 or 3 for
Panel 2. These variables are coded to -11 for non-priority conditions.
For priority conditions selected in rounds after they were first mentioned, the following questions
were asked:
a. whether the person saw or talked to a doctor about the condition during the reference
period (SEEDREF1- SEEDREF5).
b. whether the person was still being treated for the condition (STILTR1X- STILTR5X).
c. how seriously the condition affected the person's overall health and well-being since it
began (OVRALL1X- OVRALL5X).
d. whether the person with the condition himself/herself provided the information, versus
being reported by another household member (WHOTYP1X- WHOTYP5X). Return To Table Of Contents
Treatment of Data from Rounds Not Occurring in 1997
For Panel 1, Rounds 1 and 2 occurred in 1996 and are not included in this file unless the condition
was identified as a priority condition (see the discussion of PRIOFLG below). For Panel 2,
Rounds 4 and 5 occurred in 1998 and are not included in these data. Therefore, round-specific
variables for Rounds 1 and 2 are assigned an inapplicable code (-1) for members of Panel 1, and
round-specific variables for Rounds 4 and 5 are assigned an inapplicable code (-1) for members of
Panel 2. Data for rounds 4 and 5 thus pertain only to Panel 1; data for rounds 1 and 2 pertain only
to Panel 2, and both panels provide data from round 3. (Note: PANEL97 must be used to identify
whether round 3 variables were collected in Panel 1 or Panel 2.)
All priority conditions and conditions resulting from an injury that were first reported in Rounds
1 or 2 of Panel 1 have round-specific data for those rounds included on the 1996 Medical
Conditions File (HC-006R). The variables PRIOFLG and INJURFLG indicate if the condition is
"Not a priority/injury condition" (0), whether or not "Additional information is included on the
1996 Medical Condition File " (1), or if "All priority/injury information is included on the current
file" (2).
Note: Priority conditions are generally chronic conditions. Even though a respondent may not
have reported a medical provider visit, a prescribed medicine or a disability in 1997 due to the
condition, analysts should consider that the respondent is probably still experiencing the
condition. If a Panel 1 respondent reported a priority condition in Rounds 1 or 2 and did not have
a provider visit, a prescribed medicine, or a disability day for the condition in Rounds 3, 4 or 5 of
Panel 1, round-specific variables for rounds 3, 4, and 5 are coded as -12.. The only information
provided on the current 1997 file is the ICD9CODX, ICD9PROX, and CCCODEX. These records
also can be identified if PRIOFLG=1.
Rounds in which conditions were reported/selected (CRND1 - CRND5)
A set of constructed variables (CRND1 - CRND5) indicate the round in which the condition was
first reported, and for subsequent rounds, the round(s) in which a medical provider event,
prescription medication, or disability day occurred due that condition. For example, consider a
condition for which CRND1 = 0, CRND2=1, and CRND3 = 1; this sequence of CRND indicators
implies that the condition was not present during Round 1 (CRND1=0), was first mentioned
during Round 2, and was associated with a medical event during Round 3. These round indicators
have not been reconciled with CONDRN. CRND1- CRND5 are not applicable for most
pregnancies, prenatal visits, or deliveries due to the questionnaire design. Return To Table Of Contents
Disability Flag Variables
This file contains 3 flag variables indicating whether or not a condition is associated with a missed
workday (MISSWORK), a missed school day (MISSSCHL), or a bed day (INBEDFLG).
Diagnosis and Procedure Codes
The medical conditions and procedures reported by the Household Component respondent were
recorded by the interviewer as verbatim text, which were then coded to fully-specified 1996 ICD-9-CM codes, including medical condition and V codes (see Health Care Financing Administration,
1980), by professional coders. Although codes were verified and error rates did not exceed 2.5 percent
for any coder, analysts should not presume this level of precision in the data; the ability of household
respondents to report condition data that can be coded accurately should not be assumed (see Cox and
Cohen, 1985; Cox and Iachan, 1987; Edwards, et al, 1994; and Johnson and Sanchez, 1993).
In order to preserve respondent confidentiality, nearly all of the condition codes provided on this file
(ICD9CODX) have been collapsed from fully-specified codes to 3-digit code categories. Table 1 in
Appendix 2 provides a table of unweighted and weighted frequencies for all ICD-9 condition code
values reported on the file. In this table, values which reflect this collapsing have an asterisk in the
label indicating that the 3-digit category includes all the subclassifications within that category. For
example, the ICD9CODX value of 034 "Strep Throat /Scarlet Fev *" includes the fully-specified
subclassifications 034.0 and 034.1; the value 296 "Affective Disorders *" includes the fully-specified
subclassifications 296.0 through 296.99. Less than 1 percent of the records on this file were edited
further by collapsing two or more 3-digit codes into one 3-digit code; this second type of collapsing
is also indicated in the labels in Table xx. For example, the label for the value 005 "Intestinal Infect
001-005" indicates that the ICD-9 3-digit code categories 001, 002, 003, 004, and 005 were collapsed
and are represented by the single code "005". ICD-9 V-codes are included in ICD9CODX and have
been edited (i.e., collapsed) in a similar manner.
Similarly, most of the procedure codes (ICD9PROX) were collapsed from fully-specified codes to
2-digit category codes. Table 2 in Appendix 2 provides unweighted and weighted frequencies for
ICD9PROX, and this type of collapsing is identified by an asterisk in the variable label. For example,
the ICD9PROX value of 81 "Joint Repair*" includes subclassifications 81.0 through 81.99. Some
records were further edited to combine 2 or more 2-digit categories, which is also indicated in the
ICD9PROX value label - e.g., the label for the value 03 "Skull/Cord/Canal Ops (02,03)" indicates
that this value includes the 2-digit categories 02 and 03.
Users should note that because of the design of the survey, most deliveries (i.e. births) are coded as
pregnancies. For more accurate estimates for deliveries analysts should use RSINHOS "Reason
Entered Hospital" found on the Hospital Inpatient Stays Public Use File (HC-016D).
Conditions and procedures were reported in the same sections of the HC questionnaire (see Variable-Source Crosswalk in Appendix 1). Labels for all values of the variables ICD9CODX and
ICD9PROX, as shown in Tables 1 and 2, are provided in the SAS programming statements included
in this release (see the HC018SU.TXT file).
Clinical Classification Codes
ICD-9-CM condition codes have been aggregated into clinically meaningful categories that group
similar conditions (CCCODEX). CCCODEX was generated using Clinical Classification Software
(formerly known as Clinical Classifications for Health Care Policy Research (CCHPR)), (Elixhauser,
et al., 1998), which aggregates conditions and V-codes into 260 mutually exclusive categories, most
of which are clinically homogeneous. Appendix 3 lists the ICD-9-CM codes that have been
aggregated for each clinical classification category. Note that the reported ICD-9-CM code values
were mapped to the appropriate clinical classification category prior to being collapsed to 3-digit ICD-9 codes. For confidentiality purposes a small number (less than 2 percent) of clinical classification
codes have been edited. Table 3 in Appendix 2 provides weighted and unweighted frequencies for
CCCODEX. Labels for all values of the variable CCCODEX, as shown in Table 3, are provided in
the SAS programming statements included in this release (see the H18SU.TXT file). Return To Table Of Contents
2.5.3 Utilization Variables(OBNUM -
RXNUM)
The variables are OBNUM, OPNUM, HHNUM, DVNUM, HSNUM, ERNUM, and RXNUM
indicate the total number of 1997 medical provider events that can be linked to each condition record
on the current file for each event type, i.e., office-based, outpatient, home health, dental, hospital
stays, emergency room visits and prescribed medicines, respectively.
These counts of events were derived from Medical Provider Event Public Use Files (HC-016A, HC-016B, and HC-016D- HC-016H). Medical provider events associated with conditions include all
utilization that occurred between January 1, 1997 and December 31, 1997.
Because persons can be seen for more than one condition per visit, these frequencies will not match
the person- or event-level utilization counts. For example, if a person had one hospital stay and was
treated for a fractured hip and a fractured shoulder and a concussion, each of these conditions has a
unique record and HSNUM=1 for each record. If you sum HSNUM for these records, then the total
hospital stays would be 3 when actually there was only 1 hospital stay for that person and 3 conditions
were treated. These variables are useful if you wanted to know the number of hospital stays for head
injuries, hip fractures, etc. Return To Table Of Contents
3.0 Sample Weights and Variance Estimation Variables (WTDPER97-VARPSU97)
3.1 Survey Sample Information
Sample Design and Response Rates
The MEPS is designed to produce estimates at the national and regional level over time for the
civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the United States and some subpopulations of interest. The
health care utilization data in this public use set pertain to calendar year 1997. The data were collected
in Rounds 1, 2, and 3 for MEPS Panel 2 and Rounds 3, 4, and 5 for MEPS Panel 1. Note that Round
3 for a MEPS panel overlaps two calendar years. The reference period for Round 3 of Panel 1 covers
the end of 1997 and the beginning of 1997 while the reference period for Round 3 of MEPS Panel
2 covers the end of 1997 and the beginning of 1998. The only utilization data that appear on the file
are those associated with health care events occurring in calendar year 1997.
The households in this 1997 MEPS database are related to households participating in the National
Health Interview Survey in 1995 and 1997. The households (occupied dwelling units) selected for
MEPS Panel 1 were a subsample of 1995 NHIS respondents while those in MEPS Panel 2 were a
subsample of 1997 NHIS respondents. A household may contain one or more family units, each
consisting of one or more individuals. Analysis can be undertaken using either the individual or the
family as the unit of analysis.
For MEPS Panel 2 several domains of interest were oversampled to provide increased precision for
analytic purposes. These domains included households containing persons with one of the following
characteristics based on NHIS data: adults with functional impairments, children with limitations in
activity, individuals aged 18-64 with expected high medical expenditures, individuals with family
incomes expected to be below 200% of the poverty level in 1997, and adults with other impairments.
Because some households could be associated with more than one domain, a hierarchical sample
selection procedure was employed. If a household could be associated with multiple domains, it was
assigned to the domain given the highest priority in the hierarchy.
For detailed information on the MEPS sample design for Panel 1, see Cohen, S. Sample Design of
the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component. Rockville (MD): Agency for
Health Care Policy and Research; 1996. MEPS Methodology Report, No. 2. AHCPR Pub. No. 97-0027. For detailed information on the MEPS sample design for Panel 2, see Appendix 2: Cohen, S.
Sample Design of the 1997 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component. Return To Table Of Contents
MEPS-Linked to the National Health Interview Survey
The sample of 10,639 households (occupied dwelling units) for the MEPS Panel 1 consisted of a
nationally representative subsample of the households responding to the 1995 National Health
Interview Survey (NHIS). A subsample of 6,300 households was selected for MEPS Panel 2 from
among households responding to the 1996 NHIS.
The NHIS sample design has three stages of sample selection: an area sample of PSUs; a sample of
segments (single or groups of blocks or block equivalents) within sampled PSUs; and a sample of
housing units within segments. Among initially sampled households, those containing Hispanics and
blacks were oversampled at rates of approximately 2 and 1.5 times the rate of remaining households.
These same rates of oversampling are reflected in the MEPS sample of households. The only major
difference in the definition of a household between NHIS and MEPS is that college aged students
living away from home during the school year were interviewed at their place of residence for the
NHIS but were identified by and linked to their parents' household for MEPS. Return To Table Of Contents
3.2 Sample Weights and Variance Estimation
In the HC-018 file, a weight variable is provided for estimation purposes. Procedures and
considerations associated with the construction and interpretation of person estimates using this and
other variables are discussed below.
Response Rates
In order to produce annual health care estimates for calendar year 1997 based on the full MEPS
sample, data will also need to be pooled across the first two MEPS national samples. More
specifically, full calendar year 1997 data collected in Rounds 3 through 5 for the MEPS Panel 1
sample are pooled with data from the first three rounds of data collection for the MEPS Panel 2
sample (illustrated below). NOTE: THE HC20 WORD DOCUMENT INCLUDES A GRAPHIC
WHICH COULD NOT BE CONVERTED INTO WPD. Overall, the full 1997 MEPS household
sample will consist of approximately 13,000 reporting units which include 32,636 individuals that
completed the full series of MEPS interviews for their entire period of eligibility, providing the
necessary information to produce national use and expenditure estimates for calendar year 1997.
Panel 1
Conditioned on response to Rounds 1-3 of the Panel 1 MEPS, of 21,696 key and inscope individuals
eligible for data collection in 1997, 19,622 (90.44 percent) provided data for their entire period of
eligibility. Consequently, after factoring in the impact of survey attrition, the overall Panel 1 MEPS
person level response rate for deriving annual estimates was 63.5 percent (.702 x .9044). Of these full
year respondents for calendar year 1997, 19,407 were in scope on December 31, 1997.
Panel 2
Conditioned on response to Round 1 of the Panel 2 MEPS, of 14, 644 key and inscope individuals
eligible for data collection in 1997, 13,014 (88.87 percent) provided data for their entire period of
eligibility. Consequently, after factoring in the impact of survey attrition, the overall Panel 2 MEPS
person level response rate for deriving annual estimates was 69.2 percent (.779 x .8887). Of these full
year respondents for calendar year 1997, 12,819 were in scope on December 31, 1997.
Combined MEPS Panels: Response Rate for Annual 1997 Estimates
For each independent MEPS sample, the estimation weights were further adjusted for survey attrition
over time. Each panel was then given equal weight in the development of sampling weights to
produce annual national estimates. Therefore, a pooled response rate for the survey respondents in
this data set can be obtained by taking an average of the panel specific response rates. This pooled
response rate for the combined panels is 66.4 percent, consisting of a total of 32,636 survey
participants. The weighted MEPS population estimate for the civilian non-institutionalized population
as of December 31, 1997 was 267,704,802, based on poststratification to population estimates
produced from the December 1997 Current Population Survey. Future analyses will examine the
impact of survey attrition on health care utilization and expenditure estimates covering calendar year
1997. Return To Table Of Contents
3.3 Person Level Estimation using this MEPS PUF
Overview
There is a single person level weight variable called WTDPER97. However, care should be taken
in its application as it permits both "point-in-time" and "range of time" estimates, depending on the
variables used to define the set of persons of interest for analysis. A person level weight was assigned
to each key, inscope person who responded to MEPS for the full period of time that he or she was
inscope during the MEPS survey. For Panel 2 this requirement pertained only to 1997, but for Panel
1 it pertained to both 1996 and 1997. (Recall that a person is inscope whenever he or she is a member
of the civilian, noninstitutionalized portion of the U.S. population.)
Developing Person Level MEPS Estimates
The data in this file can be used to develop estimates on persons in the civilian, noninstitutionalized
population on December 31, 1997 and for the slightly larger population of persons in the civilian,
noninstitutionalized population at any time during 1997. To obtain a cross-sectional (point-in-time)
estimate for all inscope persons living in the country on December 31, 1997, include cases with both
WTDPER97>0 (a positive person level weight) and INSC1231=1 (the person is inscope on December
31, 1997). (NEEDS TO BE MODIFIED BECAUSE THE VARIABLE INSC1231 IS NOT ON HC18
FILE-SO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THAT VARIABLE ON HC20 AND CAN BE MERGED ON
?) To obtain an estimate for all persons who were inscope at some time in 1997, include all cases with
WTDPER97>0. After selecting the appropriate cases, apply the weight variable WTDPER97 to the
analytic variable(s) of interest to obtain national estimates. The following table contains a summary
of cases to include and sample sizes for these two populations (for shorthand purposes the term
"general" is used to indicate the "civilian, noninstitutionalized"component of the
U.S.population).
Population of Interest |
Cases to Include |
Sample
Size |
General Population on December 31, 1997 |
WTDPER97>0 and INSC1231=1 |
32,226 |
General Population over the course of
1997 |
WTDPER97>0 |
32,636 | Return To Table Of Contents
3.4 Details on Person Weights Construction
Overview
The person level weight WTDPER97 was developed in three stages. A person level weight for Panel
2 was created, including both an adjustment for nonresponse over time and poststratification,
controlling to Current Population Survey (CPS) population estimates based on five different variables.
Poverty status was not included since income data for assigning persons to a poverty status was yet
to be established. Then a person level weight for Panel 1 was created, again including an adjustment
for nonresponse over time and poststratification, controlling to CPS population estimates based on
the same five variables. In the meantime work proceeded on the MEPS income data and the
assignment of MEPS families to CPS-like family units, since the assignment of poverty status is
based on CPS family structures. When poverty status information derived from income variables
became available, a 1997 average annual weight was formed from the Panel 1 and Panel 2 weights
by multiplying the Panel weights by .5. Then a final poststratification was done on this composite
weight variable, including poverty status as well as the original five poststratification variables in the
establishment of the final 1997 person level weight.
MEPS Panel 1
The person level weight for MEPS Panel 1 was developed using the 1996 full year weight for an
individual as a "base"weight for survey participants present in 1996. For key, inscope respondents
who joined an RU some time in 1997 after being out-of-scope in 1996, the 1996 family weight
associated with the family the person joined served as a "base"weight. The weighting process
included an adjustment for nonresponse over Rounds 4 and 5 as well as poststratification to
population control totals from the CPS for December, 1997. These control totals were derived by
scaling back the population totals obtained from the March 1998 CPS to reflect the December, 1997
CPS estimated population distribution across age and sex categories as of December, 1997.
Variables used in the establishment of person level poststratification control figures included: census
region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West); MSA status (MSA, non-MSA); race/ethnicity (Hispanic,
black but non-Hispanic, and other); sex, and age.
Overall, the weighted population estimate for the civilian, noninstitutionalized population on
December 31, 1997 is 267,704,802. Key, responding persons not inscope on December 31, 1997 but
inscope earlier in the year retained, as their final Panel 1 weight, the weight after the nonresponse
adjustment.
MEPS Panel 2
The person level weight for MEPS Panel 2 was developed using the MEPS Round 1 person-level
weight as a "base" weight. For key, inscope respondents who joined an RU after Round 1, the Round
1 family weight served as a "base" weight. The weighting process included an adjustment for
nonresponse over Round 2 and the 1997 portion of Round 3 as well as poststratification to the same
population control figures for December 1997 used for the MEPS Panel 1 weights. The same five
variables employed for Panel 1 poststratification (census region, MSA status, race/ethnicity, sex, and
age) were used for Panel 2 poststratification. As with Panel 1, Panel 2 key, responding persons not
inscope on December 31, 1997 but inscope earlier in the year retained the weight after the
nonresponse adjustment as their final Panel 2 weight.
Note that the MEPS round 1 weights (for both panels with one exception as noted below)
incorporated the following components: the original household probability of selection for the NHIS;
ratio-adjustment to NHIS-based national population estimates at the household (occupied dwelling
unit) level; the probability of selection of dwelling units associated with the oversampling of five
population domains of analytic interest (for Panel 2 only); adjustment for nonresponse at the dwelling
unit level for Round 1; and poststratification to figures at the family and person level obtained from
the March 1997 CPS data base. The five oversampled domains for Panel 2 were households with:
persons with functional impairments; children with limitations in activity; individuals 18-64 expected
to incur high medical expenditures based on a statistical model; persons with family incomes
expected to be below 200 percent of poverty, based on a statistical model; and adults with other
impairments. Return To Table Of Contents
The Final Weight for 1997
Variables used in the establishment of person level poststratification control totals included: poverty
status (below poverty, from 100 to 125 percent of poverty, from 125 to 200 percent of poverty, from
200 to 400 percent of poverty, at least 400 percent of poverty); census region (Northeast, Midwest,
South, West); MSA status (MSA, non-MSA); race/ethnicity (Hispanic, black but non-Hispanic, and
other); sex, and age. Overall, the weighted population estimate for the civilian, noninstitutionalized
population for December 31, 1997 is 267,704,802 (WTDPER97>0 and INSC1231=1). The inclusion
of key, inscope persons who were not inscope on December 31, 1997 brings the estimated total
number of persons represented by the MEPS respondents over the course of the year, to 270,965,010
(WTDPER97>0).
The weights for persons who died while members of the civilian, noninstitutionalized population in
1997 were adjusted separately for persons under age 65 and those age 65 and older. Control figures
were derived from Vital Statistics death registries, the Nursing Home Component of the 1996 MEPS,
and the annual Medicare Beneficiary Survey (MCBS).
The weights for persons ascertained to be living in nursing homes for at least one day in 1997 and
who were not inscope on December 31, 1997 were adjusted to a control figure derived from the
Nursing Home Component of the 1996 MEPS.
Coverage
The target population for MEPS is the 1997 U.S. civilian, noninstitutionalized population. However,
the MEPS sampled households are a subsample of the NHIS households interviewed in 1995 (Panel
1) and 1996 (Panel 2). New households created after the NHIS interviews for the respective Panels
and consisting exclusively of persons who entered the target population after 1995 (Panel 1) or after
1996 (Panel 2) are not covered by MEPS. These would include families consisting solely of:
immigrants; persons leaving the military; U.S. citizens returning from residence in another country;
and persons leaving institutions. It should be noted that this set of uncovered persons constitutes only
a tiny proportion of the MEPS target population. Return To Table Of Contents
3.5 Variance Estimation
To obtain estimates of variability (such as the standard error of sample estimates or corresponding
confidence intervals) for estimates based on MEPS survey data, the complex sample design of MEPS
for both person and family level analyses must be taken into account. Various approaches can be used
to develop such estimates of variance including use of the Taylor series or replication methodologies.
Replicate weights have not been developed for the MEPS 1997 data.
Using a Taylor Series approach, variance estimation strata and the variance estimation PSUs within
these strata must be specified. The corresponding variables on the 1997 MEPS full year utilization
database are VARSTR97 and VARPSU97, respectively. Specifying a "with replacement" design in
a computer software package, such as SUDAAN, should provide standard errors appropriate for
assessing the variability of MEPS survey estimates. It should be noted that the number of degrees of
freedom associated with estimates of variability indicated by such a package may not appropriately
reflect the actual number available. For MEPS sample estimates for characteristics generally
distributed throughout the country (and thus the sample PSUs), there are over 100 degrees of freedom
for the 1997 full year data associated with the corresponding estimates of variance. Return To Table Of Contents
4.0 Merging MEPS Data Files
Data from the current file can be used alone or in conjunction with other files. Merging
characteristics of interest from person-level files expands the scope of potential estimates. See
HC-016I (forthcoming) for instructions on merging the condition file to the Medical Event Files
Person-level characteristics can be merged to the condition file using the following procedure:
1. Sort the person-level file by person identifier, DUPERSID. Keep only variables to
be merged on to the conditions file and DUPERSID.
2. Sort the conditions file by person identifier, DUPERSID.
3. Merge both files by DUPERSID, and output all records in the conditions file.
4. If PERS contains the person-level variables, and COND is the conditions file, the
following code can be used to add person-level variables to the person's conditions
in condition-level file.
PROC SORT DATA=PERS(KEEP=DUPERSID AGE SEX EDUC)
OUT=PERSX; BY DUPERSID;
RUN;
PROC SORT DATA=COND; BY DUPERSID;
RUN;
DATA COND;
MERGE COND (IN=A) PERSX(IN=B); BY DUPERSID;
IF A;
RUN; Return To Table Of Contents
References
Cohen, S. B. (1997). A Sample Design of the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household
Component. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 1997. MEPS
Methodology Report, No. 2. AHCPR Pub. No. 97-0027.
Cohen, J. W. (1997). A Design and Methods of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household
Component. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 1997. MEPS
Methodology Report, No. 1. AHCPR Pub. No. 97-0026.
Cohen, S. B. (1996). The Redesign of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey: A Component of
the DHHS Survey Integration Plan. Proceedings of the COPAFS Seminar on Statistical
Methodology in the Public Service.
Cox, B. and Iachan, R. (1987). A Comparison of Household and Provider Reports of Medical
Conditions. Journal of the American Statistical Association 82(400):1013-18.
Edwards, W.S. Winn, D.M., Kurlantzick V., et al. Evaluation of National Health Interview Survey
Diagnostic Reporting. National Center for Health Statistics, Vital Health 2(120). 1994.
Elixhauser A., Steiner CA, Whittington CA, and McCarthy E. Clinical Classifications for health
policy research: Hospital inpatient statistics, 1995. Healthcare Cost and Utilization project,
HCUP-3 research Note. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 1998.
AHCPR Pub. No. 98-0049
Health Care Financing Administration (1980). International Classification of Diseases, 9th
Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-CM). Vol. 1. (DHHS Pub. No. (PHS) 80-1260). DHHS:
U.S. Public Health Services.
Shah, B.V., B. G. Barnwell, G.S. Bieler, K.E. Boyle, R.E. Folsom, L. Lavange, S.C. Wheeless,
and R. Williams (1996). Technical Manual: Statistical Methods and Algorithms Used in
SUDAAN Release 7.0, Research Triangle Park, NC: Research Triangle Institute.
Return To Table Of Contents
Appendix 1:
Variable to Source Crosswalk
FOR MEPS PUBLIC USE RELEASE HC-018
SURVEY ADMINISTRATION VARIABLES
VARIABLE |
LABEL |
SOURCE(1) |
DUID |
Dwelling Unit ID |
Assigned in Sampling |
PID |
Person Number (PN) |
Assigned in Sampling |
DUPERSID |
Sample person ID (DU + PN) |
Assigned in Sampling |
CONDN |
Condition Number |
CAPI Derived |
CONDIDX |
Cond ID Key: Persid + Counter (3) + CONDN |
CAPI Derived |
PANEL97 |
Panel Number |
Constructed |
CONDRN |
Round Number |
CAPI Derived |
Return To Table Of Contents
MEDICAL CONDITION VARIABLES
VARIABLE |
LABEL |
SOURCE |
PRIOLIST |
Is Condition On Priority List |
CN02 |
CONDBEGD |
Date Condition Started --Day |
CN05 |
CONDBEGM |
Date Condition Started Month |
CN05 |
CONDBEGY |
Date Condition Started --Year |
CN05 |
SEEDREV1 |
RD1: Ever See/Talk to Dr. About Condition |
CN03, CN07 |
SEEDREV2 |
RD2: Ever See/Talk to Dr. About Condition |
CN03, CN07 |
SEEDREV3 |
RD3: Ever See/Talk to Dr. About Condition |
CN03, CN07 |
SEEDREV4 |
RD4: Ever See/Talk to Dr. About Condition |
CN03, CN07 |
SEEDREV5 |
RD5: Ever See/Talk to Dr. About Condition |
CN03, CN07 |
LSTSAW1X |
RD1: When Was Last Time Dr. Was Seen |
CN04 (Edited) |
LSTSAW3X |
RD3: When Was Last Time Dr. Was Seen |
CN04 (Edited) |
STILTR1X |
RD1: Is Person Still Treated For Condition |
CN11, CN18 (Edited) |
STILTR2X |
RD2: Is Person Still Treated For Condition |
CN11, CN18 (Edited) |
STILTR3X |
RD3: Is Person Still Treated For Condition |
CN11, CN18 (Edited) |
STILTR4X |
RD4: Is Person Still Treated For Condition |
CN11, CN18 (Edited) |
STILTR5X |
RD5: Is Person Still Treated For Condition |
CN11, CN18 (Edited) |
OVRALL1X |
RD1: How Did Condition Affect Overall Health |
CN13, CN19 (Edited) |
OVRALL2X |
RD2: How Did Condition Affect Overall Health |
CN13, CN19 (Edited) |
OVRALL3X |
RD3: How Did Condition Affect Overall Health |
CN13, CN19 (Edited) |
OVRALL4X |
RD4: How Did Condition Affect Overall Health |
CN13, CN19 (Edited) |
OVRALL5X |
RD5: How Did Condition Affect Overall Health |
CN13, CN19 (Edited) |
WHOTYP1X |
RD1: Who Reported Affect |
CN13OV, CN19OV
(Edited) |
WHOTYP2X |
RD2: Who Reported Affect |
CN13OV, CN19OV
(Edited) |
WHOTYP3X |
RD3: Who Reported Affect |
CN13OV, CN19OV
(Edited) |
WHOTYP4X |
RD4: Who Reported Affect |
CN13OV, CN19OV
(Edited) |
WHOTYP5X |
RD5: Who Reported Affect |
CN13OV, CN19OV
(Edited) |
FURTCA1X |
RD1: Was Future Treatment Recommended |
CN14 (Edited) |
FURTCA2X |
RD2: Was Future Treatment Recommended |
CN14 (Edited) |
FURTCA3X |
RD3: Was Future Treatment Recommended |
CN14 (Edited) |
FURTCA4X |
RD4: Was Future Treatment Recommended |
CN14 (Edited) |
FURTCA5X |
RD5: Was Future Treatment Recommended |
CN14 (Edited) |
FOLOCA1X |
RD1: Receive Follow-Up Care for Condition |
CN15 (Edited) |
FOLOCA2X |
RD2: Receive Follow-Up Care for Condition |
CN15 (Edited) |
FOLOCA3X |
RD3: Receive Follow-Up Care for Condition |
CN15 (Edited) |
FOLOCA4X |
RD4:Receive Follow-Up Care for Condition |
CN15 (Edited) |
FOLOCA5X |
RD5:Receive Follow-Up Care for Condition |
CN15 (Edited) |
SEEDREF1 |
RD1: Saw Doctor in Reference Period |
CN17 |
SEEDREF2 |
RD2: Saw Doctor in Reference Period |
CN17 |
SEEDREF3 |
RD3: Saw Doctor in Reference Period |
CN17 |
SEEDREF4 |
RD4: Saw Doctor in Reference Period |
CN17 |
SEEDREF5 |
RD5: Saw Doctor in Reference Period |
CN17 |
CRND1 |
RD 1: Has Condition Round Information |
Constructed |
CRND2 |
RD 2: Has Condition Round Information |
Constructed |
CRND3 |
RD 3: Has Condition Round Information |
Constructed |
CRND4 |
RD 4: Has Condition Round Information |
Constructed |
CRND5 |
RD 5: Has Condition Round Information |
Constructed |
SELECTR2 |
Previously Reported Priority Condition Selected in
Round 2 |
Constructed |
SELECTR3 |
Previously Reported Priority Condition Selected in
Round 3 |
Constructed |
SELECTR4 |
Previously Reported Priority Condition Selected in
Round 4 |
Constructed |
SELECTR5 |
Previously Reported Priority Condition Selected in
Round 5 |
Constructed |
PRIORFLG |
1 = Initial Priority Information on 1996 File |
|
INJURY |
Was Condition Due To Accident/Injury |
CN02 |
ACCDENTD |
Date Of Accident -- Day |
CN06 |
ACCDENTM |
Date Of Accident Month |
CN06 |
ACCDENTY |
Date Of Accident Year |
CN06 |
ACCDNWRK |
Did Accident Occur At Work |
CN07 |
ACDNTLOC |
Where Did Accident Happen |
CN08 |
INOUTHH |
Was Accident inside/Outside House |
CN09 |
VEHICLE |
Was A Motor Vehicle Involved |
CN10 |
GUN |
Was A Gun Involved |
CN10 |
WEAPON |
Was Some Other Weapon Involved |
CN10 |
POISON |
Was Poison/Poisonous Substance Involved |
CN10 |
FIREBURN |
Was Fire/Burning Involved |
CN10 |
DROWN |
Was Drowning/Near Drowning Involved |
CN10 |
SPORTS |
Was It A Sports Injury |
CN10 |
FALL |
Was It A Fall |
CN10 |
ACDNTOTH |
Was Something Else Involved |
CN10 |
RECOVER |
Fully Recovered From Condition |
CN12 |
INJURFLG |
1 = Initial Injury Information on 1996 File |
|
MISSWORK |
Flag Associated With Missed Work days |
DD04 |
MISSSCHL |
Flag Associated With Missed School Days |
DD08 |
INBEDFLG |
Flag Associated With Bed Days |
DD12 |
ICD9CODX |
ICD-9 Code for Condition |
CE05, HS03, ER04,
OP09, MV09, DN02,
HH05, PM09 (Edited) |
ICD9PROX |
ICD-9 Code for Procedure |
CE05, HS03, ER04,
OP09, MV09, DN02,
HH05, PM09 (Edited) |
CCCODEX |
Clinical Classification Code |
Constructed/Edited |
HHNUM |
# Home Health Events Assoc. w/ Condition |
Constructed |
DNNUM |
# Dental Events Assoc. w/ Condition |
Constructed |
HSNUM |
# Hospital Stays Assoc. w/ Condition |
Constructed |
OPNUM |
# Out-Patient Events Assoc. w/ Condition |
Constructed |
OBNUM |
# Office-Based Events Assoc. w/ Condition |
Constructed |
ERNUM |
# ER Assoc. w/ Condition |
Constructed |
RXNUM |
# Prescribed Medicines Associations W/ Condition |
Constructed |
Return To Table Of Contents
WEIGHTS AND VARIANCE ESTIMATION VARIABLES
VARIABLE |
LABEL |
SOURCE |
WTDPER97 |
Poverty/Mortality Adjusted Person-Level |
Constructed |
VARPSU97 |
Variance Estimation PSU 1996 |
Constructed |
VARSTR97 |
Variance Estimation Stratum |
Constructed |
Return To Table Of Contents
Appendix 2:
Condition, Procedure and Clinical Classification Code
Appendix 3:
Clinical Classification Software—DIAGNOSES
(with all coding changes valid from January 1980 through September 1999 )
Diagnosis category
ICD-9-CM codes
Appendix 4:
List of Priority Conditions
A. LONG-TERM, LIFE THREATENING CONDITIONS:
Cancer (of any body part)
cancer
tumor
malignancy
malignant tumor
carcinoma
sarcoma
lymphoma
Hodgkin's disease
leukemia
melanoma
metastasis
neuroma
adenoma
Diabetes
diabetes
diabetes mellitus
high blood sugar
juvenile diabetes
(Type I diabetes)
adult-onset diabetes
(Type II diabetes)
diabetic neuropathy
Emphysema
emphysema
chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD)
chronic bronchitis (MUST use the
word chronic', only for adults)
Chonic obstructive bronchitis (MUST
use the word chronic', only for adults)
smokers cough
High Cholesterol
high cholesterol
high or elevated triglycerides
hyperlipidemia
hypercholesterolemia
HIV/AIDS
HIV
AIDS
Hypertension
hypertension
high blood pressure
Ischemic Heart Disease
ischemic heart disease (MUST use
the word ischemic')
angina
angina pectoris
coronary artery disease
blocked, obstructed, or occluded
coronary arteries
arteriosclerosis
myocardial infarction
heart attack
Stroke
stroke
cerebral hemorrhage
cerebral aneurysm
transient ischemic accident
transient ischemic attack
apoplexy
carotid artery blockage
arterial thrombosis in brain
blood clot in brain
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B. CHRONIC, MANAGEABLE CONDITIONS:
Arthritis
anything with the word arthritis'
rheumatoid arthritis
degenerative arthritis
osteoarthritis
bursitis
rheumatism
Asthma
anything with the word asthma' or
asthmatic'
Gall Bladder Disease
gall bladder disease, trouble,
attacks, infection, or problems
gallstones
Stomach Ulcers
stomach ulcer
duodenal ulcer
peptic ulcer
bleeding ulcer
ulcerated stomach
perforated ulcer
Back Problems of Any Kind
back problems or pain of any kind
(lower or upper back)
sore, hurt, injured, or stiff back
backache
anything with the words vertebra',
vertebrae', lumbar', spine', or spinal'
strained or pulled muscle in back
sprained back
muscle spasms
back spasms
bad back
lumbago
sciatica or sciatic nerve problems
disc problems: herniated, ruptured, slipped, compressed, extruded,
dislocated, deteriorated, or misaligned discs
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C. MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES:
Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
anything with the words Alzheimer's' or dementia'
organic brain syndrome
Depression and Anxiety Disorders
depression (including severe, chronic, or major depression)
dysthymia
dysthymic disorder
bipolar disorder
manic depression or manic depressive illness
anxiety attacks
panic attacks
anxiety
nerves
nervous condition
nervous breakdown
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