Medicare data errors impede health equity efforts, OIG says

Healthcare DIVE June 21, 2022
Susan Kelly

Dive Brief:

• Inaccuracies and other limitations in Medicare enrollment data on race and ethnicity are hampering the agency’s ability to assess and combat health disparities among its 66 million beneficiaries, according to a new report from the HHS Office of Inspector General. The data contain more inaccuracies for people identified as American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian/Pacific Islander or Hispanic than for other groups.
• Limited race and ethnicity categories and missing information are part of the problem, and the enrollment figures are inconsistent with federal data collection standards, the OIG said. Use of an algorithm improves the data but falls short of self-reported information.
• The inaccuracies inhibit the work of identifying and reducing health disparities in the Medicare population, the report...

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