SYSTEM NUMBER: 09-35-0002
SYSTEM NAME:
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) and National Medical Expenditure Survey 2 (NMES 2), HHS/AHRQ/CFACT
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
None.
SYSTEM LOCATION:
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, MD, 20850
CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
(1) Individuals and members of households selected by probability sampling techniques to be representative of the civilian non-institutionalized population of the United States; health care providers, staff responding on behalf of health insurers and the employers of members of sampled households; (2) residents and next-of-kin of such residents of nursing and personal care homes, selected by probability sampling techniques to be representative of residents of such homes, and facilities and the staff responding on behalf of such facilities.
CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
Records containing information on: (1) The incidence of illness and accidental injuries, prevalence of diseases and impairments, the extent of disability, the use, expenditures and sources of payment for health care services, and other characteristics of individuals obtained in household interviews (demographic and socioeconomic characteristics such as age, marital status, education, occupation and family income) and the names, telephone numbers and addresses of the responding staffs of health care providers, health insurers, and employers; (2) the utilization of long-term care, nursing home care, care in personal care homes through data on residents (demographic and social characteristics, health status and charges and sources of payment for care); through data facility characteristics (general characteristics, certification, services offered and corresponding expenses), and through data on next-of-kin or representative of residents (demographic and social characteristics, health status, and expenditures for health care of residents); and (3) Medicare claims records of members of sampled households and of sampled residents of nursing and personal care homes.
AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
Section 913 and 306 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 299b-2 and 242k(b)). Sections 924(c) and 308(d) of the PHS Act (42 U.S.C. 299c-3(c) and 242m(d)) provide authority for protecting restrictions on identifiable information about individuals.
PURPOSE(S):
The data are used in aggregated form for statistical and health services research purposes respecting analysis and evaluation of health care costs, and the accessibility, planning, organization, distribution, technology, utilization, quality, and financing of health services and systems.
ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
The Department has contracted with private firms for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, aggregating, or otherwise refining records in this system. Relevant records are collected by and/or disclosed to such contractors. The contractors are required to maintain Privacy Act safeguards with respect to such records.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING, RETRIEVING, ACCESSING, RETAINING, AND DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
STORAGE:
File folders, magnetic tapes, CD-ROM and secure network servers.
RETRIEVABILITY:
Information can be retrieved by respondent name and address. However, this information is not stored in routinely used analytic files.
SAFEGUARDS:
AHRQ and its contractors implement personnel, physical, and procedural safeguards as follows:
RETENTION AND DISPOSAL:
Hard-copy records will be burned or shredded following verification that such data were correctly entered into a machine readable format.
SYSTEM MANAGER(S) AND ADDRESS:
Director, Division of Survey Operations, CFACT/AHRQ, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, MD. 20850
NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE:
To determine if a record exists, write to the System Manager, giving your full name and address.
RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:
The system is exempt from the requirements of the Privacy Act; however, a subject individual may be granted access to his/her records at the System's Manager's discretion. Positive identification is required from anyone seeking such access.
CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:
If access has been granted and some information is being contested, contact the System Manager and reasonably identify the record, specify the contested information, and state the corrective action sought, with supporting information to show how the record is inaccurate, incomplete, untimely, or irrelevant.
RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
Respondents in the survey samples including: members of households, physicians, hospitals, health insurers, employers, staff of nursing and personal care homes, the next-of-kin of residents of such homes and facilities, and Systems 09-70-0005, Medicare Bill File (Statistics), HHS/HCFA/BDMS.
SYSTEMS EXEMPTED FROM CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE ACT:
With respect to this system of records, exemption has been granted from the requirements contained in subsections 552a(c) (3), (d) (1) through (4) and (e) (4) (G) and (H), in accordance with the provisions of subsection 552a(k) (4) of the Privacy Act of 1974.
Current as of November 2006
Internet Citation:
AHRQ Privacy Act System of Records Notice: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/privacyact/sorn/meps.htm