Table 1.

Variables Obtained from the Medicare Claims and OASIS Home Health Admission Files 

Data	Source
Physician, Home Health Agency and Hospital Characteristics
Physician specialty	Downloadable National Provider Identifier File (CMS)
Home Health Agency and Hospital Ownership	Provider of Services File
Home Health Agency and Hospital Control/auspices (for- profit/non-profit/public)	Provider of Services File
Size of home health agency, # of annual admissions	Provider of Services File
Beneficiary Sociodemographic, Clinical and Cost Variables
Demographics	Medicare Beneficiary Summary File; OASIS
Informal support	OASIS
Living arrangements	OASIS
Eligible for Medicare and Medicaid	Medicare Beneficiary Summary File
Health care use and cost (ie. Medicare program payments)	MedPAR/Medicare Parts A and B SAF claims
Medical diagnoses ICD codes, acute and HHC	MedPAR/Medicare Parts A and B SAF claims; OASIS
Index hospital length of stay	MedPAR
Cognitive, physical, sensory function	OASIS
Early Nursing and Outpatient Provider Visits Following Index Hospital Discharge
Timing and number of home health visits	Medicare Home Health SAF claims
Timing of first physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner visit for outpatient evaluation & mgt	Mediare Part B SAF claims
Beneficiary Readmission Outcomes, Mortality and Other Outcomes after Home Health Admission
Timing and number of Medicare inpatient hospitalizations and ED use	MedPAR
Inpatient admission reason	MedPAR
Cognitive, physical, sensory function	OASIS
Early Nursing and Outpatient Provider Visits Following Index Hospital Discharge
Timing and number of home health visits	Medicare Home Health SAF claims
Timing of first physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner visit for outpatient evaluation & mgt	Mediare Part B SAF claims
Beneficiary Readmission Outcomes, Mortality and Other Outcomes after Home Health Admission
Timing and number of Medicare inpatient hospitalizations and ED use	MedPAR
Inpatient admission reason	MedPAR