The system and website leverage new and existing data sources to explore the scope of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias in the United States. In the future, the Dementia DataHub will expand to include additional data sources.
More Information
Visit the Research Data Assistance Center website for a description of the data files.
Medicare Claims & Encounter Data
Medicare is a primary medical insurance program that covers medical services for nearly the entire U.S. population age 65 and older; people younger than 65 who have received Social Security benefits as a result of a disability for 24 months; people who have end-stage renal disease and receive dialysis or a kidney transplant; and people who have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). People younger than 65 can become eligible for Medicare 24 months after qualifying for federal disability benefits.
The Dementia DataHub’s Medicare estimates are stratified by Medicare program:
Medicare Fee for Service (FFS)
This is also called traditional Medicare. The Dementia DataHub analyzes 100% of FFS claims including inpatient, outpatient, home health, and hospice settings. We include all beneficiaries with at least Part A insurance who were living and enrolled as of January 1, 2020, and who did not have at least one month of Medicare Advantage (Part C) enrollment. In 2020, this included 36,899,634 beneficiaries.
Medicare Advantage (MA)
This is also called Medicare managed care or Medicare Part C and includes Medicare plans managed by commercial insurance companies. Dementia DataHub analyzes 100% of MA encounter records. MA encounter data do not include any payment information. We include all Medicare beneficiaries who were alive and enrolled as of January 1, 2020, and who had at least one month of Part C (MA) coverage during 2020. In 2020, this totaled 24,590,097 beneficiaries.
Total Medicare (FFS + MA)
Total Medicare is the sum of Medicare FFS and Medicare MA and is calculated by the Dementia DataHub after we separately analyze FFS and MA data. In 2020, this included 61,489,731 beneficiaries.
Medicare Claims & Encounter Data Limitations
Medicare claims are intended for billing purposes only. Diagnosis information included on claims is intended to justify payment. Therefore, diagnosis data on claims may suffer from bias or limited detail.
Many Medicare patients move seasonally. We report patient residence using the last location of observation. This may skew patient numbers toward Sun Belt states.
Medicare does not cover all health care services. Medicare patients may receive some services using a different payer; those services are not captured in Medicare claims.
Medicare is not nationally representative for people younger than 65 and includes only those who are eligible for the reasons listed above. These patients may obtain Medicare coverage due to medical need, such as a legally recognized disability, or other specially defined benefit, such as end-stage renal disease.
