Abstract
The MarketScan databases are a family of administrative claims databases that contain
data on inpatient and outpatient claims, outpatient prescription claims, clinical
utilization records, and healthcare expenditures. The three main databases available
for use are each composed of a convenience sample for one of the following patient
populations: (1) patients with employer-based health insurance from contributing employers,
(2) Medicare beneficiaries who possess supplemental insurance paid by their employers,
and (3) patients with Medicaid in one of eleven participating states. Eleven supplemental
databases are available, which are utilized to overcome the limited clinical data
available in the core MarketScan databases. There are several limitations to this
database, primarily related to the fact that individuals or their family members within
two of the core databases mandatorily possess some form of employer-based health insurance,
which prevents the dataset from being nationally representative. Nonetheless, this
database provides detailed and rigorously maintained claims data to identify healthcare
utilization patterns among this cohort of patients.
Keywords
Truven MarketScan - health insurance - colorectal surgery
