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MEPS HC-051B: 2000 Dental Visits
February 2003
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends
540 Gaither Road
Rockville, MD 20850
(301) 427-1406
Table of Contents
A. Data Use Agreement
B. Background
1.0 Household Component
2.0 Medical Provider Component
3.0 Insurance Component
4.0 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 Source and Naming Conventions
2.4.1 Variable - Source Crosswalk
2.4.2 Expenditure and Sources of Payment Variables
2.5 File Contents
2.5.1 Survey Administration Variables
2.5.1.1 Person Identifiers
(DUID, PID, DUPERSID)
2.5.1.2 Record Identifiers
(EVNTIDX, FFEEIDX)
2.5.1.3 Record Indicator
(EVENTRN)
2.5.2 Dental Event Variables
2.5.2.1 Date of Visit
(DVDATEYR - DVDATEDD)
2.5.2.2 Type of Provider Seen
(GENDENT - DENTYPE)
2.5.2.3 Treatment, Procedures, and Services (EXAMINE -
DENTMED)
2.5.3 Flat Fee Variables
(FFDVTYPE, FFBEF00, FFTOT01)
2.5.3.1 Definition of Flat Fee Payments
2.5.3.2 Flat Fee Variable Descriptions
2.5.3.2.1 Flat Fee ID
(FFEEIDX)
2.5.3.2.2 Flat Fee Type
(FFDVTYPE)
2.5.3.2.3 Counts of Flat Fee Events that Cross Years (FFBEF00, FFTOT01)
2.5.3.3 Caveats of Flat Fee Groups
2.5.4 Expenditure Data
2.5.4.1 Definition of Expenditures
2.5.4.2 Data Editing and Imputation Methodologies of Expenditure Variables
2.5.4.2.1 General Data Editing Methodology
2.5.4.2.2 General Hot-Deck Imputation
2.5.4.2.3 Dental Data Editing and
Imputation
2.5.4.4 Imputation Flag Variable
(IMPFLAG)
2.5.4.5 Flat Fee Expenditures
2.5.4.6 Zero Expenditures
2.5.4.7 Sources of Payment
2.5.4.8 Dental Expenditure Variables (DVSF00X- DVTC00X)
2.5.4.9 Rounding
3.0 Sample Weight (PERWT00F)
3.1 Overview
3.2 Details on Person Weight Construction
3.2.1 MEPS Panel 4 Weight
3.2.2 MEPS Panel 5 Weight
3.2.3 The Final Weight for 2000
3.2.4 Coverage
4.0 Strategies for Estimation
4.1 Variables with Missing Values
4.2 Basic Estimates of Utilization, Expenditures, and Sources of
Payment
4.3 Estimates of the Number of Persons with Dental Visits
4.4 Person-Based Ratio Estimates
4.4.1 Person-Based Ratio Estimates Relative to Persons with Dental Visits
4.4.2 Person-Based Ratio Estimates Relative to the Entire Population
4.5 Sampling Weights for Merging Previous Releases of MEPS Household
Data with this Event File
4.6 Variance Estimation (VARPSU00, VARSTR00)
5.0 Merging/Linking MEPS Data Files
5.1 Linking a 2000 Person-Level File to the 2000 Dental File
5.2 Linking the 2000 Dental File to the 2000 Prescribed Medicines File
5.2.1 Limitations/Caveats of RXLK (the Prescribed Medicine Link File)
References
D. Variable-Source Crosswalk
A. Data Use Agreement
Individual identifiers have been removed from the micro-data contained in
these files. 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 they were 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:
- No one is to use the data in this data set in any way except for
statistical reporting and analysis; and
- 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; and
- 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 these 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.
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B.
Background
The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) provides nationally
representative estimates of health care use, expenditures, sources of payment,
and insurance coverage for the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population.
MEPS is cosponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and
the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
MEPS is a family of three surveys. The Household Component (HC) is the core
survey and forms the basis for the Medical Provider Component (MPC) and part of
the Insurance Component (IC). 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 and the National Medical Expenditure Survey (NMES-2) in 1987. Since 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 systems.
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 advance
these goals, MEPS includes linkage with the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
- a survey conducted by NCHS from which the sample for the MEPS HC is drawn -
and enhanced 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.
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1.0 Household Component
The MEPS HC, a nationally representative survey of the U.S. civilian
noninstitutionalized 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 two 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. NHIS
provides a nationally representative sample of the U.S. civilian
noninstitutionalized population, with oversampling of Hispanics and blacks.
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2.0 Medical Provider Component
The MEPS MPC supplements and/or replaces 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 home health
agencies and pharmacies reported by HC respondents. Office-based physicians,
hospitals, and hospital physicians are also included in the MPC but may be
subsampled at various rates, depending on burden and resources, in certain
years.
Data are collected on medical and financial characteristics of medical and
pharmacy events reported by HC respondents. The MPC is conducted through
telephone interviews and record abstraction.
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3.0 Insurance Component
The MEPS IC collects data on health insurance plans obtained through private
and public-sector employers. 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 three
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.
To provide an integrated picture of health insurance, data collected from the
first sampling frame (employers and insurance providers identified by MEPS HC
respondents) are linked back to data provided by those respondents. Data from
the two Census Bureau sampling frames are used to produce annual national and
state estimates of the supply and cost of private health insurance available to
American workers and to evaluate policy issues pertaining to health insurance.
National estimates of employer contributions to group insurance from the MEPS IC
are used in the computation of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by the Bureau of
Economic Analysis.
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.
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4.0 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, microdata
files and compendiums of tables. Data are released through MEPSnet, an online
interactive tool developed to give users the ability to statistically analyze
MEPS data in real time. Summary reports and compendiums of tables are released
as printed documents and electronic files. Microdata files are released as
electronic files.
Selected printed documents 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 you are requesting.
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.
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C. Technical and Programming
Information
1.0 General Information
This documentation describes one in a series of public use event files from
the 2000 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) Household Component (HC).
Released as an ASCII data file and a SAS transport file, the 2000 Dental public
use file provides detailed information on dental events for a nationally
representative sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the
United States. Data from the Dental file can be used to make estimates of dental
event utilization and expenditures for calendar year 2000. As illustrated below,
this file consists of MEPS survey data obtained in the 2000 portion of Round 3
and Rounds 4 and 5 for Panel 4, as well as Rounds 1, 2 and the 2000 portion of
Round 3 for Panel 5 (i.e., the rounds for the MEPS panels covering calendar year
2000).
301 Moved Permanently
301 Moved Permanently
Each record on this event file represents a unique dental event; that is, a
dental event reported by the household respondent. Counts of dental event
utilization are based entirely on household reports. Dental events were not
included in the Medical Provider Component (MPC); therefore, all expenditure and
payment data on the Dental event file are reported by the household.
Data from this event file can be merged with other 2000 MEPS HC data files
for the purposes of appending person-level data such as demographic
characteristics or health insurance coverage to each Dental record.
This file can also be used to construct summary variables of expenditures,
sources of payment, and related aspects of the dental event. Aggregate annual
person-level information on the use of dental events and other health services
use is provided on the MEPS 2000 Full Year Consolidated Data File where each
record represents a MEPS sampled person.
The following documentation offers a brief overview of the types and levels
of data provided, and the content and structure of the file and the codebook. It
contains the following sections:
Data File Information
Sample Weights
Strategies for Estimation
Merging/Linking MEPS Data Files
References
Variable - Source Crosswalk
For more information on MEPS HC survey design, see S. Cohen, 1997; J. Cohen,
1997; and S. Cohen, 1996. A copy of the MEPS HC survey instrument used to
collect the information on the dental file is available on the MEPS web site at
the following address: <http://www.meps.ahrq.gov>.
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2.0 Data File Information
The 2000 Dental public use data set consists of one event-level data file.
The file contains characteristics associated with the dental event and imputed
expenditure data. For users wanting to impute expenditures, pre-imputed data are
available through the CCFS data center. Please visit the CCFS Data Center web
site for details: <http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/data_stats/onsite_datacenter.jsp>. The data
user/analyst is forewarned that the imputation of expenditures will necessitate
a sizable commitment of resources: financial, staff, and time.
The 2000 Dental public use data set contains 22,582 dental event records; of
these records, 22,086 are associated with persons having a positive person-level
weight (PERWT00F). This file includes dental event records for all household
survey respondents who resided in eligible responding households and reported at
least one dental event. Each record represents one household-reported dental
event that occurred during calendar year 2000. Dental visits known to have
occurred before January 1, 2000 and after December 31, 2000 are not included on
this file. Some household respondents may have multiple dental events and thus
will be represented in multiple records on this file. Other household
respondents may have reported no dental events and thus will have no records on
this file. These data were collected during the 2000 portion of Round 3, and
Rounds 4 and 5 for Panel 4, as well as Rounds 1, 2, and the 2000 portion of
Round 3 for Panel 5 of the MEPS HC. The persons represented on this file had to
meet either (a) or (b) below:
-
Be classified as a key in-scope person who responded for his or her
entire period of 2000 eligibility (i.e., persons with a positive 2000
full-year person-level weight (PERWT00F > 0)), or
-
Be an eligible member of a family all of whose key in-scope members have
a positive person-level weight (PERWT00F > 0). (Such a family consists
of all persons with the same value for FAMIDYR.) That is, the person must
have a positive full-year family-level weight (FAMWT00F >0). Note that
FAMIDYR and FAMWT00F are variables on the 2000 Population Characteristics
file.
Persons with no dental events for 2000 are not included on this file but are
represented on the 2000 MEPS person-level files. A codebook for the data file is
provided in files H51BCB.PDF and H51BCB.ASP.
Each dental event record includes the following: date of the dental event;
type of provider seen; whether or not visit was due to an accident; reason for
dental event; procedure(s) associated with the dental event; whether or not
medicines were prescribed; flat fee information; imputed sources of payment;
total payment and total charge of the dental event expenditure; and a full-year
person-level weight.
Data from this file can be merged with the MEPS 2000 Full Year Population
Characteristics File using the unique person identifier, DUPERSID, to append
person-level information such as demographic or health insurance characteristics
to each record. Dental events can also be linked to the MEPS 2000 Prescribed
Medicine File. Please see section 5.0 0 and the 2000 Appendix for details on how
to merge MEPS data files.
Panel 4 cases (PANEL00 = 4 on the MEPS 2000 person-level file) can also be
linked back to the 1999 MEPS HC Public Use Data Files. However, the user should
be aware that at this time no weight is being provided to facilitate two-year
analysis of Panel 4 data.
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2.1 Codebook Structure
For each variable on the Dental Events file, both weighted and unweighted
frequencies are provided in the codebook files (H51BCB.PDF and H51BCB.ASP). The
codebook and data file sequence list variables in the following order:
Unique person identifier
Unique dental event identifier
Dental characteristic variables
Imputed expenditure variables
Weight and variance estimation variables
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2.2 Reserved Codes
The following reserved code values are used:
| Value |
Definition |
| -1 INAPPLICABLE |
Question was not asked due to skip pattern. |
| -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. |
Generally, values of -1, -7, -8, and -9 for non-expenditure variables have
not been edited on this file. The values of -1 and -9 can be edited by the data
users/analysts by following the skip patterns in the HC survey questionnaire
(located on the MEPS web site: <http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/survey_comp/survey.jsp>).
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2.3 Codebook Format
The codebook describes an ASCII data set (although the data are also being
provided in a SAS transport file). The following codebook items are provided for
each variable:
| Identifier |
Description |
| Name |
Variable name (maximum of 8 characters) |
| Description |
Variable descriptor (maximum of 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 |
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2.4 Variable Source and Naming Conventions
In general, variable names reflect the content of the variable, with an
eight-character limitation. All imputed/edited variables end with an
"X."
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2.4.1 Variable - Source Crosswalk
Variables were derived from the HC survey questionnaire or from the CAPI. The
source of each variable is identified in Section D "Variable - Source
Crosswalk" in one of four ways:
-
Variables derived from CAPI or assigned in sampling are so indicated as
"Capi derived" or "Assigned in sampling,"
respectively;
-
Variables which come from one or more specific questions have those
questionnaire sections and question numbers indicated in the
"Source" column; questionnaire sections are identified as:
-
Variables constructed from multiple questions using complex algorithms
are labeled "Constructed" in the "Source" column; and
-
Variables that have been edited or imputed are so
indicated.
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2.4.2 Expenditure and Sources of Payment
Variables
The names of the expenditure and sources of payment variables follow a
standard convention, are seven characters in length, and end in an "X"
indicating edited/imputed. Please note that imputed means that a series of
logical edits, as well as an imputation process to account for missing data,
have been performed on the variable.
The total sum of payments and 12 source of payment are named in the following
way:
The first two characters indicate the type of event:
| IP - inpatient stay |
OB - office-based visit |
| ER - emergency room visit |
OP - outpatient visit |
| HH - home health visit |
DV - dental visit |
| OM - other medical equipment |
RX - prescribed medicine |
In the case of the source of payment variables, the third and fourth
characters indicate:
| SF - self or family |
OF - other Federal Government |
| MR - Medicare |
SL - State/local government |
| MD - Medicaid |
WC - Workers' Compensation |
| PV - private insurance |
OT - other insurance |
| VA - Veterans Administration |
OR - other private |
| TR - TRICARE |
OU - other public |
|
XP - sum of payments |
In addition, the total charge variable is indicated by TC in
the variable name.
The fifth and sixth characters indicate the year (00). The seventh character,
"X," indicates the variable is edited/imputed.
For example, DVSF00X is the edited/imputed amount paid by self or family for
2000 dental expenditures.
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2.5 File Contents
2.5.1 Survey Administration Variables
2.5.1.1 Person Identifiers (DUID,
PID, DUPERSID)
The dwelling unit ID (DUID) is a five-digit random number assigned after the
case was sampled for MEPS. The three-digit person number (PID) uniquely
identifies each person within the dwelling unit. The eight-character variable
DUPERSID uniquely identifies each person represented on the file and is the
combination of the variables DUID and PID. For detailed information on dwelling
units and families, please refer to the documentation for the 2000 Full Year
Population Characteristics File.
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2.5.1.2 Record Identifiers (EVNTIDX,
FFEEIDX)
EVNTIDX uniquely identifies each dental event (i.e., each record on the
dental file) and is the variable required to link dental events to data files
containing details on prescribed medicines (MEPS 2000 Prescribed Medicines
file). For details on linking see Section 5.0 or the MEPS 2000 Appendix File,
HC-051I.
FFEEIDX is a constructed variable that uniquely identifies a flat fee group,
that is, all events that were part of a flat fee payment situation. For example,
a charge for orthodontia is typically covered in a flat fee arrangement where
all visits are covered under one flat fee dollar amount. These events would have
the same value for FFEEIDX. FFEEIDX identifies a flat fee payment situation that
was identified using information from the Household Component.
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2.5.1.3 Record Indicator
(EVENTRN)
EVENTRN indicates the round in which the dental event was reported. Please
note: Rounds 3 (partial), 4, and 5 are associated with MEPS survey data
collected from Panel 4. Likewise, Rounds 1, 2, and 3 (partial) are associated
with data collected from Panel 5.
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2.5.2 Dental Event Variables
This file contains variables describing dental events
reported by household respondents in the Dental Section of the MEPS HC survey
questionnaire.
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2.5.2.1 Date of Visit (DVDATEYR - DVDATEDD)
There are three variables which indicate the day, month and year a dental
event occurred (DVDATEDD, DVDATEMM, DVDATEYR, respectively). These variables
have not been edited or imputed.
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2.5.2.2 Type of Provider Seen
(GENDENT - DENTYPE)
Respondents were asked about the type of provider seen during the dental
visit (e.g., general dentist, dental hygienist, or orthodontist). More than one
type of provider may have been identified on an event record.
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2.5.2.3 Treatment,
Procedures, and Services
(EXAMINE - DENTMED)
Respondents were asked about the types of services or treatments received
during the visit (EXAMINE - TMDTMJ), such as root canal or x-rays, and whether
or not the visit was because of an accident (DENTINJ). More than one type of
service or treatment may have been identified on an event record. Some
procedures or services identified in DENTOTHR as "Dental services other
specify" have been edited to appropriate procedure and service categories.
Both the edited and unedited versions of these variables are included on the
file only if editing was done. Therefore, the variable list may differ from year
to year. DENTMED indicates whether or not the respondent received a prescription
medication, including free samples, during the dental visit.
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2.5.3 Flat Fee Variables (FFEEIDX,
FFDVTYPE, FFBEF00, FFTOT01)
2.5.3.1 Definition of Flat Fee Payments
A flat fee is the fixed dollar amount a person is charged for a package of
services provided during a defined period of time. Examples would be an
orthodontist's fee, which covers multiple visits; or a dental surgeon's fee,
which covers surgical procedure and post-surgical care. A flat fee group is the
set of medical services that are covered under the same flat fee payment
situation. The flat fee groups represented on the dental file include flat fee
groups where at least one of the health care events, as reported by the HC
respondent, occurred during 2000. By definition, a flat fee group can span
multiple years. Furthermore, a single person can have multiple flat fee groups.
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2.5.3.2 Flat Fee Variable Descriptions
2.5.3.2.1 Flat Fee ID (FFEEIDX)
As noted earlier in Section 2.5.1.2 "Record Identifiers," the
variable FFEEIDX uniquely identifies all events that are part of the same flat
fee group for a person. On any 2000 MEPS event file, every event that is part of
a specific flat fee group will have the same value for FFEEIDX. Note that
prescribed medicine and home health events are never included in a flat fee
group and FFEEIDX is not a variable on those event files.
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2.5.3.2.2 Flat Fee Type
(FFDVTYPE)
FFDVTYPE indicates whether the 2000 dental event is the "stem" or
"leaf" of a flat fee group. A stem (records with FFDVTYPE = 1) is the
initial dental service (event) which is followed by other dental events that are
covered under the same flat fee payment. The leaves of the flat fee group
(records with FFDVTYPE = 2) are those dental events that are tied back to the
initial medical event (the stem) in the flat fee group. These "leaf"
records have their expenditure variables set to zero. For the dental visits that
are not part of a flat fee payment situation, the FFDVTYPE is set to -1,
"INAPPLICABLE".
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2.5.3.2.3 Counts of Flat Fee Events that Cross Years (FFBEF00, FFTOT01)
As described in Section 2.5.3.1, a flat fee payment situation covers multiple
events and the multiple events could span multiple years. For situations where a
2000 dental visit is part of a group of events, and some of the events occurred
before or after 2000, counts of the known events are provided on the dental
record. Variables that indicate events occurring before or after 2000 are the
following:
FFBEF00 -- indicates total number of pre-2000 events in the same flat
fee group as the 2000 dental event. This count would not include 2000
dental events.
FFTOT01 -- indicates the number of 2001 medical events expected to be
in the same flat fee group as the 2000 dental event record.
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2.5.3.3 Caveats of Flat Fee Groups
Data users/analysts should note that flat fee payment situations are common
on the dental file. There are 4,201 dental events that are identified as being
part of a flat fee payment group. In general, every flat fee group should have
an initial visit (stem) and at least one subsequent visit (leaf). There are some
situations where this is not true. For some of these flat fee groups, the
initial visit reported occurred in 2000, but the remaining visits that were part
of this flat fee group occurred in 2001. In this case, the 2000 flat fee group
represented on this file would consist of one event (the stem). The 2001
"leaf" events that are part of this flat fee group are not represented
on the file. Similarly, the household respondent may have reported a flat fee
group where the initial visit began in 1999 but subsequent visits occurred
during 2000. In this case, the initial visit would not be represented on the
file. This 2000 flat fee group would then only consist of one or more leaf
records and no stem.
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2.5.4 Expenditure Data
2.5.4.1 Definition of Expenditures
Expenditures on this file refer to what is paid for dental services. More
specifically, expenditures in MEPS are defined as the sum of payments for care
received, including out-of-pocket payments and payments made by private
insurance, Medicaid, Medicare and other sources. The definition of expenditures
used in MEPS differs slightly from its predecessors, the 1987 NMES and 1977
NMCES surveys, where "charges" rather than sum of payments were used
to measure expenditures. This change was adopted because charges became a less
appropriate proxy for medical expenditures during the 1990's due to the
increasingly common practice of discounting. Although measuring expenditures as
the sum of payments incorporates discounts in the MEPS expenditure estimates,
the estimates do not incorporate any payment not directly tied to specific
medical care visits, such as bonuses or retrospective payment adjustments paid
by third party payers. Another general change from the two prior surveys is that
charges associated with uncollected liability, bad debt, and charitable care
(unless provided by a public clinic or hospital) are not counted as expenditures
because there are no payments associated with those classifications. While
charge data are provided on this file, data users/analysts should use caution
when working with this data because a charge does not typically represent actual
dollars exchanged for services or the resource costs of those services, nor are
they directly comparable to the resource costs of those services, nor are they
directly comparable to the expenditures defined in the 1987 NMES. For details on
expenditure definitions, please reference the following, "Informing
American Health Care Policy" (Monheit et al., 2000). AHRQ has developed
factors to apply to the 1987 NMES expenditure data to facilitate longitudinal
analysis. These factors can be assessed via the CCFS data center. For more
information see the Data Center section of the MEPS web site at <http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/data_stats/onsite_datacenter.jsp>.
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2.5.4.2 Data Editing and Imputation
Methodologies of Expenditure Variables
The general methodology used for editing and imputing
expenditure data is described below. The MPC did not include either the dental
events or other medical expenditures (such as glasses, contact lenses, and
hearing devices). Therefore, although the general procedures remain the same,
for dental and other medical expenditures, editing and imputation methodologies
were applied only to household-reported data. Please see below for details on
the differences between these editing/imputation methodologies. Separate
imputations were performed for flat fee and simple events, as well.
Return to Table of Contents
2.5.4.2.1 General Data Editing Methodology
Logical edits were used to resolve internal inconsistencies and other
problems in the HC survey-reported data. The edits were designed to preserve
partial payment data from households and providers, and to identify actual and
potential sources of payment for each household-reported event. In general,
these edits accounted for outliers, copayments or charges reported as total
payments, and reimbursed amounts that were reported as out-of-pocket payments.
In addition, edits were implemented to correct for misclassifications between
Medicare and Medicaid and between Medicare HMOs and private HMOs as payment
sources. These edits produced a complete vector of expenditures for some events,
and provided the starting point for imputing missing expenditures in the
remaining events.
Return to Table of Contents
2.5.4.2.2 General Hot-Deck Imputation
A weighted sequential hot-deck procedure was used to impute for missing
expenditures as well as total charge. This procedure uses survey data from
respondents to replace missing data, while taking into account the respondents'
weighted distribution in the imputation process. Classification variables vary
by event type in the hot-deck imputations, but total charge and insurance
coverage are key variables in all of the imputations. Separate imputations were
performed for nine categories of medical provider care: inpatient hospital
stays, outpatient hospital department visits, emergency room visits, visits to
physicians, visits to non-physician providers, dental services, home health care
by certified providers, home health care by paid independents, and other medical
expenses. Within each event type file, separate imputations were performed for
flat fee and simple events. After the imputations were finished, visits to
physician and non-physician providers were combined into a single medical
provider file. The two categories of home care also were combined into a single
home health file.
Return to Table of Contents
2.5.4.2.3 Dental Data Editing and Imputation
Expenditures on visits to dentists were developed in a sequence of logical
edits and imputations. The household edits were used to correct obvious errors
in the reporting of expenditures, and to identify actual and potential sources
of payments. Some of the edits were global (i.e., applied to all events). Others
were hierarchical and mutually exclusive. One of the more important edits
separated flat fee events from simple events. This edit was necessary because
groups of events covered by a flat fee (i.e., a flat fee bundle) were edited and
imputed separately from individual events each covered by a single charge (i.e.,
simple events). Dental services were imputed as flat fee events if the charges
covered a package of health care services (e.g., orthodontia), and all of the
services were part of the same event type (i.e., a pure bundle). If a bundle
contained more than one type of event, the services were treated as simple
events in the imputations (See Section 2.5.3 for more detail on the definition
and imputation of events in flat fee bundles.)
Logical edits were also used to sort each event into a specific category for
the imputations. Events with complete expenditures were flagged as potential
donors for the hot-deck imputations, while events with missing expenditure data
were assigned to various recipient categories. Each event was assigned to a
recipient category based on the extent of its missing charge and expenditure
data. For example, an event with a known total charge but no expenditure
information was assigned to one category, while an event with a known total
charge and partial expenditure information was assigned to a different category.
Similarly, events without a known total charge and no or partial expenditure
information were assigned to various recipient categories.
The logical edits produced nine recipient categories for events with missing
data. Eight of the categories were for events with a common pattern of missing
data and a primary payer other than Medicaid. Medicaid events were imputed
separately because persons on Medicaid rarely know the provider's charge for
services or the amount paid by the state Medicaid program. As a result, the
total charge for Medicaid-covered services was imputed and discounted to reflect
the amount that a state program would pay for the care.
Separate hot-deck imputations were used to impute missing data in each of the
other eight recipient categories. The donor pool included "free
events" because, in some instances, providers are not paid for their
services. These events represent charity care, bad debt, provider failure to
bill, and third party payer restrictions on reimbursement in certain
circumstances. If free events were excluded from the donor pool, total
expenditures would be over-counted because the distribution of free event among
complete events (donors) is not represented among incomplete events
(recipients).
Return to Table of Contents
2.5.4.4 Imputation Flag Variable
(IMPFLAG)
Only one imputation flag was created for 2000 event files. This flag, IMPFLAG,
is a six-category variable that indicates if the event contains complete
Household Component (HC) or Medical Provider Component (MPC) data, was fully or
partially imputed, or was imputed in the capitated imputation process (for OP
and MV events only). The following list identifies how the imputation flag is
coded; the categories are mutually exclusive.
IMPFLAG=0 not eligible for imputation (includes zeroed
out and leaf events)
IMPFLAG=1 complete HC data
IMPFLAG=2 complete MPC data (not applicable to DV events)
IMPFLAG=3 fully imputed
IMPFLAG=4 partially imputed
IMPFLAG=5 complete MPC data through capitation imputation (not applicable to DV events)
Return to Table of Contents
2.5.4.5 Flat Fee Expenditures
The approach used to count expenditures for flat fees was to place the
expenditure on the first visit of the flat fee group. The remaining visits have
zero payments. Thus, if the first visit in the flat fee group occurred prior to
2000, all of the events that occurred in 2000 will have zero payments.
Conversely, if the first event in the flat fee group occurred at the end of
2000, the total expenditure for the entire flat fee group will be on that event,
regardless of the number of events it covered after 2000. See Section 2.5.3 for
details on the flat fee variables.
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2.5.4.6 Zero Expenditures
As noted above, there are some dental events reported by respondents where
the payments were zero. This could occur for several reasons including (1) free
care was provided, (2) bad debt was incurred, (3) care was covered under a flat
fee arrangement beginning in an earlier year, or (4) follow-up visits were
provided without a separate charge (e.g., after a surgical procedure). If all of
the medical events for a person fell into one of these categories, then the
total annual expenditures for that person would be zero.
Return to Table of Contents
2.5.4.7 Sources of Payment
In addition to total expenditures, variables are provided which itemize
expenditures according to major source of payment categories. These categories
are:
-
Out-of-pocket by user or family,
-
Medicare,
-
Medicaid,
-
Private Insurance,
-
Veterans Administration, excluding TRICARE,
-
TRICARE, formerly CHAMPUS/CHAMPVA,
-
Other Federal sources - includes Indian Health Service, Military
Treatment Facilities, and other care by the Federal government,
-
Other State and Local Source - includes community and neighborhood
clinics, State and local health departments, and State programs other
than Medicaid,
-
Workers' Compensation, and
-
Other Unclassified Sources - includes sources such as automobile,
homeowner's, liability, and other miscellaneous or unknown sources.
Two additional source of payment variables were created to classify payments
for events with apparent inconsistencies between insurance coverage and sources
of payment based on data collected in the survey. These variables include:
-
Other Private - any type of private insurance payments reported
for persons not reported to have any private health insurance coverage
during the year as defined in MEPS, and
-
Other Public - Medicare/Medicaid payments reported for persons
who were not reported to be enrolled in the Medicare/Medicaid program at
any time during the year.
Though relatively small in magnitude, data users/analysts should exercise
caution when interpreting the expenditures associated with these two additional
sources of payment. While these payments stem from apparent inconsistent
responses to health insurance and source of payment questions in the survey,
some of these inconsistencies may have logical explanations. For example,
private insurance coverage in MEPS is defined as having a major medical plan
covering hospital and physician services. If a MEPS sampled person did not have
such coverage but had a single service type insurance plan (e.g., dental
insurance) that paid for a particular episode of care, those payments may be
classified as "other private." Some of the "other public"
payments may stem from confusion between Medicaid and other state and local
programs or may be from persons who were not enrolled in Medicaid, but were
presumed eligible by a provider who ultimately received payments from the
program.
Return to Table of Contents
2.5.4.8 Dental Expenditure Variables (DVSF00X-
DVTC00X)
DVSF00X - DVOT00X are the 12 sources of payment. DVTC00X is the total charge,
and DVXP00X is the sum of the 12 sources of payment for the Dental expenditures.
The 12 source of payment are: self/family (DVSF00X), Medicare (DVMR00X),
Medicaid (DVMD00X), private insurance (DVPV00X), Veterans Administration
(DVVA00X), TRICARE (DVTR00X), other Federal sources (DVOF00X), State and Local
(non-federal) government sources (DVSL00X), Worker's Compensation (DVWC00X),
other private insurance (DVOR00X), other public insurance (DVOU00X), and other
insurance (DVOT00X).
Return to Table of Contents
2.5.4.9 Rounding
Expenditure variables on the 2000 dental file have been rounded to the
nearest penny. Person-level expenditure information to be released on the MEPS
2000 Person-Level Expenditure File will be rounded to the nearest dollar. It
should be noted that using the MEPS event files to create person-level totals
will yield slightly different totals than those found on the person-level
expenditure file. These differences are due to rounding only. Moreover, in some
instances, the number of persons having expenditures on the event files for a
particular source of payment may differ from the number of persons with
expenditures on the person-level expenditure file for that source of payment.
This difference is also an artifact of rounding only. Please see the MEPS 2000
Appendix File, HC-051I, for details on such rounding differences.
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3.0 Sample Weight (PERWT00F)
3.1 Overview
There is a single full year person-level weight (PERWT00F) assigned to each
record for each key, in-scope person who responded to MEPS for the full period
of time that he or she was in-scope during 2000. A key person either was a
member of an NHIS household at the time of the NHIS interview, or became a
member of such a household after being out-of-scope at the time of the NHIS
(examples of the latter situation include newborns and persons returning from
military service, an institution, or living outside the United States). A person
is in-scope whenever he or she is a member of the civilian noninstitutionalized
portion of the U.S. population.
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3.2 Details on Person Weight Construction
The person-level weight PERWT00F was developed in several stages. Person
level weights for Panels 4 and 5 were created separately. The weighting process
for each panel included an adjustment for nonresponse over time and
poststratification. Poststratification was achieved by controlling to Current
Population Survey (CPS) population estimates based on five variables. 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. A 2000 composite weight was then formed by multiplying each panel weight by
.5 and then poststratifying the resulting weight to the same set of CPS-based
control totals. When poverty status information derived from income variables
became available, a final poststratification was done on the resulting weight
variable, including 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) as well as the original five poststratification
variables in the establishment of control totals.
Return to Table of Contents
3.2.1 MEPS Panel 4 Weight
The person-level weight for MEPS Panel 4 was developed using the 1999 full
year weight for an individual as a "base" weight for survey
participants present in 1999. For key, in-scope respondents who joined an RU
some time in 2000 after being out of scope in 1999, the 1999 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 figures for December
2000. These control figures were derived by scaling back the population totals
obtained from the March 2000 CPS to reflect the December 2000 CPS estimated
population distribution across age and sex categories as of December 2000.
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, 2000 is 275,158,755. Key,
responding persons not in-scope on December 31, 2000 but in-scope earlier in the
year retained, as their final Panel 4 weight, the weight after the nonresponse
adjustment.
Return to Table of Contents
3.2.2 MEPS Panel 5 Weight
The person-level weight for MEPS Panel 5 was developed using the MEPS Round 1
person-level weight as a "base" weight. For key, in-scope 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 2000 portion of Round 3 as well as
poststratification to the same population control figures for December 2000 used
for the MEPS Panel 4 weights. The same five variables employed for Panel 4
poststratification (census region, MSA status, race/ethnicity, sex, and age)
were used for Panel 5 poststratification. Similarly, for Panel 5, key,
responding persons not in-scope on December 31, 2000 but in-scope earlier in the
year retained, as their final Panel 5 weight, the weight after the nonresponse
adjustment.
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; 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 2000 CPS data
base.
Return to Table of Contents
3.2.3 The Final Weight for 2000
Variables used in the establishment of person-level poststratification
control figures 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, 2000
is 275,158,755 (PERWT00F>0 and INSC1231=1). The weights of some persons
out-of-scope on December 31, 2000 were also poststratified. Specifically, the
weights of persons out-of-scope on December 31, 2000 who were inscope some time
during the year and also entered a nursing home during the year were
poststratified to a corresponding control total obtained from the 1996 MEPS
Nursing Home Component. The weights of persons who died while inscope during
2000 were poststratified to corresponding estimates derived using data obtained
from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) and Vital Statistics
information provided by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
Separate control totals were developed for the "65 and older" and
"under 65" civilian, noninstitutionalized populations.
Return to Table of Contents
3.2.4 Coverage
The target population for MEPS in this file is the 2000 U.S. civilian
noninstitutionalized population. However, the MEPS sampled households are a
subsample of the NHIS households interviewed in 1998 (Panel 4) and 1999 (Panel
5). New households created after the NHIS interviews for the respective Panels
and consisting exclusively of persons who entered the target population after
1998 (Panel 4) or after 1999 (Panel 5) are not covered by MEPS. Neither is
previously out of scope persons who join an existing household but are unrelated
to the current household residents. Persons not covered by a given MEPS panel
thus include some members of the following groups: immigrants; persons leaving
the military; U.S. citizens returning from residence in another country; and
persons leaving institutions. The set of uncovered persons constitutes only a
small proportion of the MEPS target population.
Return to Table of Contents
4.0 Strategies for Estimation
This file is constructed for efficient estimation of utilization,
expenditures, and sources of payment for dental events and to allow for
estimates of number of persons with dental utilization in 2000.
Return to Table of Contents
4.1 Variables with Missing Values
It is essential that the analyst examine all variables for the presence of
negative values used to represent missing values. For continuous or discrete
variables, where means or totals may be taken, it may be necessary to set minus
values to values appropriate to the analytic needs. That is, the analyst should
either impute a value or set the value to one that will be interpreted as
missing by the computing language used. For categorical and dichotomous
variables, the analyst may want to consider whether to recode or impute a value
for cases with negative values or whether to exclude or include such cases in
the numerator and/or denominator when calculating proportions.
Methodologies used for the editing/imputation of expenditure variables (e.g.,
sources of payment, flat fee, and zero expenditures) are described in Section
2.5.4.
Return to Table of Contents
4.2 Basic Estimates of
Utilization,
Expenditures, and Sources of Payment
While the examples described below illustrate the use of event-level data in
constructing person-level total expenditures, these estimates can also be
derived from the person-level expenditure file unless the characteristic of
interest is event specific.
In order to produce national estimates related to dental visits utilization,
expenditures, and sources of payment, the value in each record contributing to
the estimates must be multiplied by the weight (PERWT00F) contained on that
record.
Example 1
For example, the total number of dental visits, for the civilian
noninstitutionalized population of the U.S. in 2000 is estimated as the sum of
the weight (PERWT00F) across all dental visit event records. That is,
301 Moved Permanently
301 Moved Permanently
|
= 287,430,258 |
(1) |
Example 2
Subsetting to records based on characteristics of interest expands the scope
of potential estimates. For example, the estimate for the mean out-of-pocket
payment per dental visit (for those who had such expenses greater than 0) should
be calculated as the weighted mean of amount paid by self/family. That is,
301 Moved Permanently
301 Moved Permanently
|
= $118.54 |
(2) |
where
| |
301 Moved Permanently
301 Moved Permanently
|
= 231,195,283 and Xj =
DVSF00Xj |
for all records with DVXP00Xj > 0.
This gives $118.54 as the estimated mean amount of out-of-pocket payment of
expenditures associated with dental visits and 231,195,283 as an estimate of the
total number of dental visits with expenditures. Both of these estimates are for
the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the U.S. in 2000.
Example 3
Another example would be to estimate the average proportion of total
expenditures (where event expense is greater than 0) paid by private insurance
per dental visit. This should be calculated as the weighted mean of the
proportion of the total dental visit expenditures paid by private insurance at
the dental visit-level. That is,
301 Moved Permanently
301 Moved Permanently
|
= 0.4506 |
(3) |
where
| |
301 Moved Permanently
301 Moved Permanently
|
= 231,195,283 and Yj = DVPV00Xj /
DVXP00Xj |
for all records with DVXP00Xj > 0.
This gives 0.4506 as the estimated mean proportion of total expenditures paid
by private insurance for dental visits with expenditures for the civilian
noninstitutionalized population of the U.S. in 2000.
Return to Table of Contents
4.3 Estimates of the Number of Persons with
Dental Visits
When calculating an estimate of the total number of persons with dental
visits, users can use a person-level file or this event file. However, this
event file must be used when the measure of interest is defined at the
event-level. For example, to estimate the number of
persons in the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the U.S. with a
dental visit in 2000 because of accident or injury, this event file must be
used. This would be estimated as
301 Moved Permanently
301 Moved Permanently
|
across all unique persons i on this file |
(4) |
where
Wi is the sampling weight (PERWT00F) for
person i
and
Xi = 1 if DENTINJj = 1 for any dental visit
record of person i
= 0 otherwise.
Return to Table of Contents
4.4 Person-Based Ratio Estimates
4.4.1 Person-Based Ratio Estimates Relative to
Persons with Dental Visits
This file may be used to derive person-based ratio estimates. However, when
calculating ratio estimates where the denominator is persons, care should be
taken to properly define and estimate the unit of analysis up to person-level.
For example, the mean expense for persons with dental visits is estimated as,
301 Moved Permanently
301 Moved Permanently
|
across all unique persons i on this file |
(5) |
where
Wi is the sampling weight (PERWT00F) for
person i
and
| |
Zi = |
301 Moved Permanently
301 Moved Permanently
|
DVXP00Xj
across all dental visit events of person i. |
Return to Table of Contents
4.4.2 Person-Based Ratio Estimates Relative to
the Entire Population
If the ratio relates to the entire population, this file cannot be used to
calculate the denominator, as only those persons with at least one dental visit
are represented on this data file. In this case, the Full Year Consolidated
File, which has data for all sampled persons, must be used to estimate the total
number of persons (i.e., those with events and those without events).
For example, to estimate the proportion of civilian noninstitutionalized
population of the U.S. with at least one dental visit due to accident or injury,
the numerator would be derived from data on this event file, and the denominator
would be derived from data on the person-level file. That is,
301 Moved Permanently
301 Moved Permanently
|
across all unique persons i on the MEPS HC-person-level file |
(6) |
where
Wi is the sampling weight (PERWT00F) for
person i
and
Zi = 1 if DENTINJj = 1 for any dental
visit record of person i
= 0 otherwise.
Return to Table of Contents
4.5 Sampling Weights for Merging Previous
Releases of MEPS Household Data with this Event File
There have been several previous releases of MEPS Household Survey public use
data. Unless a variable name common to several files is provided, the sampling
weights contained on these data files are file-specific. The file-specific
weights reflect minor adjustments to eligibility and response indicators due to
birth, death, or institutionalization among respondents.
For estimates from a MEPS data file that do not require merging with
variables from other MEPS data files, the sampling weight(s) provided on that
data file are the appropriate weight(s). When merging one MEPS Household data
file to another, the major analytical variable (i.e., the dependent variable)
determines the correct sampling weight to use.
Return to Table of Contents
4.6 Variance Estimation (VARPSU00, VARSTR00)
To obtain estimates of variability (such as the standard error of sample
estimates or corresponding confidence intervals) for estimates based on MEPS
survey data, one needs to take into account the complex sample design of MEPS.
Various approaches can be used to develop such estimates of variance including
use of the Taylor Series or various replication methodologies. Replicate weights
have not been developed for the MEPS 2000 data. Variables needed to implement a
Taylor Series estimation approach are provided in the file and are described in
the paragraph below.
Using a Taylor Series approach, variance estimation strata and the variance
estimation PSUs within these strata must be specified. The corresponding
variables on the MEPS full year utilization database are VARSTR00 and VARPSU00,
respectively. Specifying a "with replacement" design in a computer
software package such as SUDAAN (Shah, 1996) 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 associated with the corresponding estimates of variance.
The following illustrates these concepts using two examples from section 4.2.
Examples 2 and 3 from Section 4.2
Using a Taylor Series approach, specifying VARSTR00 and VARPSU00 as the
variance estimation strata and PSUs (within these strata) respectively and
specifying a "with replacement" design in a computer software package
(i.e., SUDAAN) will yield standard error estimate of $3.90 and 0.0097 for the
estimated mean of out-of-pocket payment and the estimated mean proportion of
total expenditures paid by private insurance respectively.
Return to Table of Contents
5.0 Merging/Linking MEPS Data Files
Data from this file can be used alone or in conjunction with other files.
This section provides instructions for linking the 2000 dental file with other
2000 MEPS public use files, including the 2000 prescribed medicines file and a
2000 person-level file.
Return to Table of Contents
5.1 Linking a 2000 Person-Level File to the 2000
Dental File
Merging characteristics of interest from other MEPS files (e.g., 2000 Full
Year Population Characteristics File or 2000 Prescribed Medicines File) expands
the scope of potential estimates. For example, to estimate the total number of
dental events of persons with specific demographic characteristics (such as age,
race, and sex), population characteristics from a person-level file need to be
merged onto the dental file. This procedure is shown below. The MEPS 2000
Appendix File, HC-051I, provides additional details of how to merge other MEPS
data files.
-
Create data set PERSX by sorting the 2000 Full Year Population
Characteristics File, by the person identifier, DUPERSID. Keep only
variables to be merged onto the dental file and DUPERSID.
-
Create data set DENT by sorting the dental event file by person
identifier, DUPERSID.
-
Create final data set NEWDENT by merging these two files by DUPERSID,
keeping only records on the dental event file.
The following is an example of SAS code which completes these steps:
PROC SORT DATA=HCXXX (KEEP=DUPERSID AGE31X AGE42X AGE53X SEX RACEX
EDUCYR) OUT=PERSX;
BY DUPERSID;
RUN;
PROC SORT DATA=DENT;
BY DUPERSID;
RUN;
DATA NEWDENT;
MERGE DENT (IN=A) PERSX(IN=B);
BY DUPERSID;
IF A;
RUN;
The MEPS 2000 Appendix File, HC-051I, provides examples of how to merge other
MEPS data files.
Return to Table of Contents
5.2 Linking the 2000 Dental File to the 2000
Prescribed Medicines File
Due to survey design issues, there are limitations/caveats that data
users/analysts must keep in mind when linking the different files. These
limitations/caveats are listed below. For detailed linking examples, including
SAS code, data users/analysts should refer to the MEPS 2000 Appendix File,
HC-051I.
Return to Table of Contents
5.2.1 Limitations/Caveats of RXLK (the
Prescribed Medicine Link File)
The RXLK file provides a link from the MEPS event files to the 2000
Prescribed Medicine Event File. When using RXLK, data users/analysts should keep
in mind that one dental visit can link to more than one prescribed medicine
record. Conversely, a prescribed medicine event may link to more than one dental
visit or different types of events. When this occurs, it is up to the data
user/analyst to determine how the prescribed medicine expenditures should be
allocated among those medical events.
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References
Cohen, S.B. (1997). Sample Design of the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel
Survey Household Component. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and
Research; 1997. MEPS Methodology Report, No. 2. AHCPR Pub. No.
97-0027.
Cohen, J.W. (1997). Design and Methods of the Medical Expenditure Panel
Survey Household Component. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and
Research; 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.
Monheit, A.C., Wilson, R., and Arnett, III, R.H. (Editors) (1999). Informing
American Health Care Policy. Jossey-Bass Inc, San Francisco.
Shah, B.V., Barnwell, B.G., Bieler, G.S., Boyle, K.E., Folsom, R.E., Lavange,
L., Wheeless, S.C., and Williams, R. (1996). Technical Manual: Statistical
Methods and Algorithms Used in SUDAAN Release 7.0, Research Triangle Park,
NC: Research Triangle Institute.
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D. Variable-Source Crosswalk
Variable-Source Crosswalk
For MEPS HC-051B: 2000 Dental Visits
Survey Administration Variables
| Variable |
Description |
Source |
|
DUID |
Dwelling unit ID |
Assigned in sampling |
|
PID |
Person number |
Assigned in sampling |
|
DUPERSID |
Person ID (DUID + PID) |
Assigned in sampling |
|
EVNTIDX |
Event ID |
Assigned in Sampling |
|
EVENTRN |
Event round number |
CAPI derived |
|
FFEEIDX |
Flat fee ID |
CAPI derived |
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Dental Events Variables
| Variable |
Description |
Source |
|
DVDATEYR |
Event date - year |
CAPI derived |
|
DVDATEMM |
Event date - month |
CAPI derived |
|
DVDATEDD |
Event date - day |
CAPI derived |
|
GENDENT |
General dentist seen |
DN03 |
|
DENTHYG |
Dental hygienist seen |
DN03 |
|
DENTTECH |
Dental technician seen |
DN03 |
|
DENTSURG |
Dental surgeon seen |
DN03 |
|
ORTHODNT |
Orthodontist seen |
DN03 |
|
ENDODENT |
Endodontist seen |
DN03 |
|
PERIODNT |
Periodontist seen |
DN03 |
|
DENTYPE |
Other dental specialist seen |
DN03 |
|
EXAMINE |
General exam or consultation |
DN04 |
|
CLENTETX |
Edited CLENTETH |
DN04 (Edited) |
|
CLENTETH |
Cleaning, prophylaxis, or polishing |
DN04 |
|
JUSTXRAY |
X-rays, radiographs or bitewings |
DN04 |
|
FLUORIDE |
Fluoride treatment |
DN04 |
|
SEALANT |
Sealant application |
DN04 |
|
FILLINGX |
Edited FILLING |
DN04 (Edited) |
|
FILLING |
Fillings |
DN04 |
|
INLAY |
Inlays |
DN04 |
|
CROWNSX |
Edited CROWNS |
DN04 (Edited) |
|
CROWNS |
Crowns or caps |
DN04 |
|
ROOTCANX |
Edited ROOTCANL |
DN04 (Edited) |
|
ROOTCANL |
Root canal |
DN04 |
|
GUMSURGX |
Edited GUMSURG |
DN04 (Edited) |
|
GUMSURG |
Periodontal scaling, root planing or gum |
DN04 |
|
RECLIVIS |
Periodontal recall visit |
DN04 |
|
EXTRACT |
Extraction, tooth pulled |
DN04 |
|
IMPLANT |
Implants |
DN04 |
|
ABSCESS |
Abscess or infection treatment |
DN04 |
|
ORALSURX |
Edited ORALSURG |
DN04 (Edited) |
|
ORALSURG |
Oral surgery |
DN04 |
|
BRIDGESX |
Edited BRIDGES |
DN04 (Edited) |
|
BRIDGES |
Bridges |
DN04 |
|
DENTUREX |
Edited DENTURES |
DN04 (Edited) |
|
DENTURES |
Dentures or partial dentures |
DN04 |
|
REPAIR |
Repair of bridges/dentures or relining |
DN04 |
|
ORTHDONX |
Edited ORTHDONT |
DN04 (Edited) |
|
ORTHDONT |
Orthodontia, braces or retainers |
DN04 |
|
WHITEN |
Bonding, whitening or bleaching |
DN04 |
|
TMDTMJ |
Treatment for TMD or TMJ |
DN04 |
|
DENTPROX |
Edited DENTPROC |
DN04OV (Edited) |
|
DENTPROC |
Other dental procedures |
DN04OV |
|
DENTOTHX |
Edited DENTOTHR |
DN04 (Edited) |
|
DENTOTHR |
Other specified dental procedures |
DN04 |
|
DENTINJ |
Visit because of accident or injury |
DN01 |
|
DENTMED |
Received medicine including free sample |
DN05 |
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Flat Fee Variables
| Variable |
Description |
Source |
|
FFDVTYPE |
Flat fee bundle |
Constructed |
|
FFBEF00 |
Total # of visits in FF before 2000 |
FF05 |
|
FFTOT01 |
Total # of visits in FF after 2000 |
FF10 |
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Imputed Expenditure Variables
| Variable |
Description |
Source |
|
DVSF00X |
Amount paid, self/family (Imputed) |
CP Section (Edited) |
|
DVMR00X |
Amount paid, Medicare (Imputed) |
CP Section (Edited) |
|
DVMD00X |
Amount paid, Medicaid (Imputed) |
CP Section (Edited) |
|
DVPV00X |
Amount paid, private insurance (Imputed) |
CP Section (Edited) |
|
DVVA00X |
Amount paid, Veterans Administration (Imputed) |
CP Section (Edited) |
|
DVTR00X |
Amount paid, TRICARE (Imputed) |
CP Section (Edited) |
|
DVOF00X |
Amount paid, other federal (Imputed) |
CP Section (Edited) |
|
DVSL00X |
Amount paid, state & local government (Imputed) |
CP Section (Edited) |
|
DVWC00X |
Amount paid, workers' compensation (Imputed) |
CP Section (Edited) |
|
DVOR00X |
Amount paid, other private insurance (Imputed) |
Constructed |
|
DVOU00X |
Amount paid, other public (Imputed) |
Constructed |
|
DVOT00X |
Amount paid, other insurance (Imputed) |
CP Section (Edited) |
|
DVXP00X |
Sum of DVSF00X - DVOT00X (Imputed) |
Constructed |
|
DVTC00X |
Household reported total charge (Imputed) |
CP Section (Edited) |
|
IMPFLAG |
Imputation status |
Constructed |
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Weights
| Variable |
Description |
Source |
|
PERWT00F |
Final Person Level Weight, 2000 |
Constructed |
|
VARSTR00 |
Variance estimation stratum, 2000 |
Constructed |
|
VARPSU00 |
Variance estimation PSU, 2000 |
Constructed |
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