Instructions on the Format and Transmission of the MDS
Data code book: Detailed data code books (data dictionaries) containing the name, description, response categories, length, and format of each data element in the MDS, are separately provided for each of the ten grantees. If you do not have the code book for your state, please contact the Implementation contractor for a copy.
Level of the MDS: The MDS is a participant level data set. Every person who is currently enrolled in your program will appear in a given quarter’s MDS, irrespective of when he or she enrolled in the program.
Content of the MDS: The MDS for each quarter will contain participant identification information, information on the services and incentives received during the quarter, and information on any outcome measurements undertaken during the quarter.
Reporting outcome data: If an outcome is measured multiple times during a quarter, only the most recent measurement should be reported. For example, if an outcome is measured at day 30, day 60, and day 90 during the quarter, the grantee should submit only information on the measurement on day 90. If a particular outcome is not measured during a quarter, the corresponding data field can be left empty.
Frequency of data submission: Data should be submitted on a quarterly basis. Even if your data measurement cycle, particularly for outcome variables, is not quarterly and some of the variables do not change from quarter to quarter, you will still need to submit the MDS every quarter.
Cumulative data base: Every quarter each grantee should submit a cumulative data base and not only the data on the current quarter. All the previous quarters’ data should be appended to the current quarter’s data.
Baseline data: In the first quarter of enrollment of a participant, two records (observations) should be submitted. The first record provides the baseline information and the second record provides information on the program activities that took place during the first quarter of enrollment. The first record should be identified using the response category “B” under the Rec_Var_3 (Record Trail) variable and the second record using the response category “Quarter 1”. For all the subsequent quarters of that participant’s enrollment period, only one new record that covers the program activities that took place during the quarter is to be provided.
Data fields not applicable to a grantee: There may be a few data elements in the core modules of the MDS that are not directly relevant to every program. You are not required to include those data elements in your data submission. If variables are not included, please ensure that the variable names and order of the remaining data elements are not changed when excluding irrelevant data elements. Alternatively, you can include the irrelevant data elements in the data set and give “not applicable” as the response.
Modifying the MDS data elements: Please do not change the names, order, or content of any of the data elements without the prior approval of CMS. If there are changes to the MDS that are desired, please bring them to the attention of CMS and the Implementation contractor for discussion.
Data format: The MDS should be submitted in SAS, STATA, SPSS, or ASCII format. SAS and ASCII delimited files are the preferred formats. Delimiters such as tab, comma, and pipe are also acceptable. MS Excel and MS Access formats are not acceptable.
Data transmission: Since the data contain personally identifiable health information, all data transmissions need to be secure and HIPAA compliant. Data files should be encrypted and submitted via the secure FTP site set up by the Implementation contractor.
Data dry runs: To ensure secure and smooth transmission of data, each grantee will have the opportunity to participate in two rounds of data dry runs using dummy data before the actual data submissions begin.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | Instructions on the Format and Transmission of the MDS |
| Subject | MIPCD |
| Author | CMS |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-30 |