Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

• Web site: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/
• This database includes cancer outcomes.
• This database is not linked to a cancer registry.

Description

The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), started in March 1996. MEPS is conducted in conjunction with AHRQ, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the National Opinion Research Center, and through contracts with Westat, a survey research firm located in Washington, DC. MEPS consists of four components: 1) Household Component, 2) Nursing Home Component, 3) Medical Provider Component, and 4) Insurance Component. MEPS data are available for public use on diskettes, CD-ROMs, and the Internet at the MEPS Web site.

The Medical Provider Visits Survey has questions pertaining to diagnoses and prescriptions filled. The Household Component asks about physical and mental impairments, but does not collect information on medications. MEPS cannot be used to make estimates of disease, prevalence of health conditions, or mortality/morbidity. MEPS is designed instead to be used to make estimates of medical utilization and expenditures.

Selected References

Cost/Cost Effectiveness

Cohen JW, Krauss NA. Spending and service use among people with the fifteen most costly medical conditions, 1997. Health Aff (Millwood) 2003 Mar-Apr;22(2):129-38.

Banthin JS, Miller GE. Trends in prescription drug expenditures by Medicaid enrollees. Med Care 2006 May;44(5 Suppl):I27-35.