TRICARE - sporedata/researchdesigneR GitHub Wiki
General description
TRICARE is operated by the US Department of Defense (DoD), the data being maintained by the Military Health System Data Repository (MDR). This dataset has clinician information linked over time, allowing for longitudinal analyses. It is used to calculate the comorbidity indices via the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems.
Variable categories
- A variety of epidemiological information, including age, race/ethnicity (if or as reported by the sponsor), marital status, census region of residence, and sponsor rank, a unique feature of this data which can be used as a proxy measure for socioeconomic status;
- ICD-9 procedure or diagnosis codes;
- ICD-10 diagnosis codes, develop Injury Severity Scores, allowing determine duration of hospital admissions;
- Perioperative or trauma-specific measures(such as estimated blood loss, the extent or invasiveness of surgical intervention, Glasgow Coma Scale scores, vital signs, and radiographic results) are typically unavailable.
Limitations
- Getting access to Tricare requires a proposal that is evaluated by the DoD.
- Tricare claims may be prone to medication exposure misclassification if medications are purchased without using the insurance benefit.
- Low-cost generic drug programs offered at major chain pharmacies can be a source of misclassification because these initiatives can incentivize individuals to purchase medications out of pocket.
- As a result, a pharmacy claim may never be submitted. Also, the means by which Tricare pays for services in the Direct Care setting, in which lump sum payments are allocated over a fiscal period in a manner that cannot be correlated with fee-for-service, makes it difficult to accurately determine the costs of specific surgical episodes