|
For many surveys, such
as the MEPS, the researcher can download some public use files
directly from the web as either ASCII files or SAS transport files.
Other files are available on CD-ROM. Click here
for a directory of data files available on the MEPS website. For
large surveys such as the MEPS, the data required by the investigator
will sometimes be in more than one data file. These files are
then merged to create the analytic file for the study.
Users of these data
agree to abide by rules for their use specified in the data use
agreement. Click here
to see an example of a data use agreement for the MEPS public
use files. Although public use files can often be used to answer
many research questions, there are times when such files may not
suffice. To protect individual confidentiality, data are often
aggregated and geographic codes removed prior to being made publicly
available, which could be problematic if the investigator needs
a finer level of detail. In addition, there may be a time lag
between when the survey is conducted and when the data files are
prepared and edited for public release, and the investigator may
want to begin the study before the files are fully edited. In
these circumstances, it may be possible to submit an application
to analyze these data at a Data Center, such as the MEPS
data center in Rockville, MD.
The MCBS
must be obtained directly from CMS. Data come on tapes for mainframe
computers. Researchers who require more detailed claims data or
geographic information than are included on standard survey files
may request these files by submitting a study protocol with specific
justification for the additional data. CMS requires a formal data
use agreement to acquire and analyze these data. Click here
to view the CMS application for a data use agreement. (click here to download the Adobe Acrobat pdf reader)
Many surveys are available
on CD-ROM. ICPSR also maintains a directory
of datasets available in this medium with information on how
to obtain them.
|