MEPS-MPC-Office Based

OMB #: 0935-0108

What is the Medical Expenditure
Panel Survey?
The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) is a
nationwide study conducted to learn more about the
health care services people use, the charges for those
services and the sources that pay for them. MEPS is
conducted annually by the U.S. Public Health Service
through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Major components of MEPS include surveys of:
„
A nationally representative sample of households;
„
Hospitals, physicians, and pharmacies reported
by the household participants; and
„
Providers of health insurance.
MEPS is the most complete source of data available
on health care use and expenses in the United States.

How do I know the information will
be kept confidential?
All data is kept in strict confidence. The confidentiality of data collected for MEPS is protected by
Federal law under Sections 924(c) and 308(d) of
the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 299c-3(c)
and 242m(d)]. Identifying information collected
for the study cannot be released without the
permission of the individuals or establishments
who provided the information.
Personal identifying information such as names
or addresses are removed before information
from the study is made available to researchers.
Findings are published in statistical summaries
and tables and micro-data is released on “public
use” data files.

How are practitioners chosen for the MEPS Separately
Billing Doctor Component?
Practitioners are identified by respondents during the
hospital data collection using the patient’s medical record.
These identified practitioners have provided health care
to the patient in a hospital setting and billed the patient
separately for medical services they have provided.
Authorization forms signed by the patient can be sent
which authorizes and requests medical care providers
to release information sought by the study.

Who is collecting this data?
The U.S. Public Health Service has chosen Westat,
a national research company, to administer the
study. A professionally trained data collection
specialist from Westat will contact each medical
provider participating in the study.

Why should this practice participate?
Expenditures from practitioners who bill for their
services separately from the hospital are a major
component of health care costs. The information that
you supply will supplement that given by your patient
and help us build a more complete picture of health
care expenditures for respondents in our study. Your
patients have asked specifically for your help by signing
the authorization form.

What questions will the data
collected answer?
MEPS data provide answers to many important
questions. For example:
„
How much of medical costs are covered
by insurance?
„
What do people pay out of pocket for their
medical care?
„
What conditions are being treated by
medical providers?
„
What types of health care services are people
receiving from medical providers?

What information is needed?
For each of the patients on the enclosed list, we
need information about their 2005 medical events.
For each date of service, we need:
„
Date of service
„
Diagnoses (ICD-9 or DSM-4 codes)
„
Services provided (CPT-4, or other relevant codes)
„
Full established charge
„
Method of reimbursement (fee-for-service or capitated)
„
Payment sources/amounts.
M:\7690\7690.19.04\MPC 2005\Forms\SBD\2005 SBD Brochure.doc - 6/9/2006 - 2:39 PM - SH

Any further questions?
Please call toll-free, at
1-800-792-3656.
For direct access to information
about MEPS, go to
http://www.meps.ahrq.gov.