CMS Releases Utilization, Trends, and Data Update

Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) highlighted several data products the agency released during the month of June:

Medicare Advantage Skilled Nursing Facility Utilization Data – New Update

The following data products were updated with skilled nursing facility utilization for beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) for calendar years 2016-2019:

• The Medicare Advantage Geographic Variation PUF (MA GV PUF) now includes metrics on skilled nursing facility utilization and beneficiary demographic characteristics for Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in MA. The MA GV PUF only includes data for Medicare beneficiaries who were enrolled in MA for the full year.
• The CMS Program Statistics (CPS) now includes MA Skilled Nursing Facility Reports, containing trend, demographic, and state tables with skilled nursing facility utilization for beneficiaries enrolled in MA. The data presented in these tables include utilization reported in the MA encounter data for all Medicare beneficiaries with any MA enrollment during the year.

Medicare Telehealth Trends Report– Quarterly Update

The Medicare Telehealth Trends Data highlights trends in the use of telehealth services between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2022. The data allow for analysis of telehealth utilization by quarter, state, and various demographic characteristics.

Medicare COVID-19 Vaccine Public Use File – Quarterly Update

The Medicare COVID-19 Vaccine PUF is a public use file (PUF) that presents Medicare utilization and spending information for the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. This update to the PUF includes an additional three months of data and refreshes the previously released figures with more complete data for dates of service between December 11, 2020, and March 31, 2023. The PUF is based on Medicare fee-for-service claims CMS received by May 12, 2023.

Medicare COVID-19 Hospitalizations Trends Report – Periodic Update

The COVID-19 Hospitalization Trends Report highlights trends in hospitalization rates in 2020, 2021, and 2022. The report presents data cut by year, half-year, month, state, and various demographic characteristics and is accompanied by a PUF.

Medicare Enrollment – Monthly Update

The Medicare Monthly Enrollment file presents Medicare enrollment by geographic area and now includes enrollee counts for March 2023.