Affiliations: [a] Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Agency
for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD, USA
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: Samuel H. Zuvekas, Ph.D.,
Senior Economist, Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
Tel.: +1 301 427 1673; Fax: +1 301 427 1276; E-mail:
samuel.zuvekas@ahrq.hhs.gov
Abstract: We examined the effects of length of recall period and written records on the
accuracy of household reports of health care use of Medicare beneficiaries in
the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), a widely used
nationally-representative federal survey. Our sample contained 1,375 Medicare
beneficiaries with 5 complete rounds of MEPS interviews during 2001–2003 who
were matched to their Medicare claims records. Household respondents
systematically underreported any emergency department use per round (mean of
0.07 vs. 0.09 in the claims, p< 0.001) and number of ambulatory visits per 90
days (2.3 vs. 2.7, p < 0.001). In logistic regressions, recall periods less
than 2 months and, to a lesser extent, 3 to 4 months were associated with lower
odds of underreporting visits and higher overall accuracy. Calendars and bills,
insurance statements, and other records of health care events kept by some MEPS
respondents also were associated with lower odds of underreporting.
