Medical Care · 6 authors, 4 centres
This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.
This study used a literature review, inventory, and discussions with 9 states to describe practices for linking Medicaid claims with birth certificates for maternal and child health research. It found that 39 states have such linkages, which are often used for outcome assessment, but face barriers like resources and standardization.
The study used a 3-pronged approach: a structured literature review, an inventory of linkage efforts, and semistructured discussions with representatives from 9 U.S. states. Discussions revealed that linkages often began for a specific question or program evaluation and expanded, with most states allowing external researcher access. Linkages typically used probabilistic or deterministic methods on variables like name, date of birth, and Social Security number. The findings highlight the utility of these linked data for public health research and suggest that federal technical assistance and state collaboration could improve standardization and overcome barriers.
