OMB#: 0935-0118
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey – Medical Provider
Component
Reference #: «GID»
Attachment 95
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
Medical Provider Component
Pharmacy Provider
Authorization Form Package,
Forms by Fax Anticipated
«DATE»
«CONTACT_NAME»
«FAX_NUMBER»
Total Pages (including cover sheet): «TOTAL_PAGES»
Total Number of Patients: [FILL]
«Instructions»
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me earlier. This package contains the study information and signed customer authorization forms that I said I would send to you. These forms were signed by your customers who are actively participating in this research study. These signed forms allow us to contact you for a few pieces of information about the prescriptions that you provided to these customers in 2014. We need to collect the following:
NDC, Quantity Dispensed, Drug Name, Days Supplied (if available), Customer Payment per Rx, 3rd Party Payment per Rx, and 3rd Party Type (e.g., Medicare, Private, Manufacturer, Discount, Charity.)
«SPECIAL_COMMENT»
Enclosures:
Letter from the CDC and AHRQ
Confidential Customer Check List
Fax Coversheet and Mail Return Form
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
«TOTAL_AFS» – Signed Authorization Forms
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality |
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«DATE»
Dear «POC_NAME»:
We understand that one of our data collection specialists has talked to you about the Medical Provider Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. We are appreciative of the contributions you and your health care agency are providing to this important study that is being conducted for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), both part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We wanted to take this opportunity to tell you more about the study.
The objective of the study is to provide accurate information to government policymakers and private researchers about the rapidly changing health care situation in this country. To accomplish this goal, we have collected data from a cross-section of American households on how they used and paid for health care during 2014. With the written permission of members of these households, we are now contacting their pharmacy providers to determine the actual fill dates, NDC, charges, sources of payment and the amount that was paid. One or more of your pharmacy customers have given us written authorization to request this information from your records.
The study materials enclosed with this letter include a list of your pharmacy customers who have agreed to participate in the survey and an authorization form for each customer.
This survey is authorized by section 902(a) of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 299a]. Participation is voluntary, but we are depending on you to help us toward a more complete understanding of the nation’s health care. The client information we obtain will be used for research purposes only and will be released publicly only in summary form in which establishments or individuals cannot be identified. The confidentiality of client information is protected by Sections 944(c) and 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 299c-3(c) and 242m(d)]. Information that could identify a client or establishment will not be disclosed unless that client or establishment has consented to such a disclosure.
A Data Collection Specialist from our contractors, RTI International (RTI) and Social and Scientific Systems, Inc. (SSS), will call shortly after you have received these materials to see if you have any questions and to arrange for the collection of these data. If you have questions about the forms or procedures, call RTI-SSS, toll-free at «TOLL_PHONE_NUMBER».
Sincerely,
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Richard Kronick, Ph.D.
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Charles J. Rothwell, M.B.A, M.S. Director National Center for Health Statistics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
Confidential Customer Checklist – PLEASE RETURN
Thank you for taking the time to provide this billing information.
Step
1: Please
check the appropriate box next to the customer name on the list below
to indicate which of the following applies to each customer: you were
able to locate the customer’s records for 2014, you were able
to locate the customer but there were no 2014 records, or the
individual is not a customer.
Step 2: Please Provide the Complete 2014 Records for Each Customer for whom you were able to locate 2014 records. For each customer listed below, we are requesting information for all 2014 prescriptions each customer received between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014.
FOR
EACH CUSTOMER PRESCRIPTION WE NEED THE FOLLOWING EIGHT ITEMS:
Date Filled
NDC
Quantity Dispensed
Drug name
Days Supplied (if available)
Customer Payment per Rx
3rd Party Payment per Rx
3rd Party Type (e.g., Medicare, Private, Manufacturer, Discount, Charity)
Please include label headers on your reports in the closest way possible to the variables that we are looking for in the study, or provide a key. We have noticed that it is easy to miss 3rd Party Payments and Types when returning records. If this information is not available please make a note on the paperwork that you return to us to reduce the number of follow-up calls.
Step
3: Please Return Copies of the Records by Fax or Mail:
When returning copies, please use the Fax Cover Sheet or Mail Return
Form included on page 4 of this fax. Please include this completed
Confidential Customer Check List, along with any records for those
customers that received prescriptions in 2014.
The customer(s) listed below
have given us written authorization to contact you and request
information from your records. Copies of the signed authorization
forms are included in this fax.
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Check 1 For Each Customer |
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Provider Name |
Customer Name |
Customer Address |
Date of Birth |
Sex M/F |
2014 Rx Found |
Cust Found No 2014 RX |
Not a Cust |
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Fax Cover Sheet and Mail Return Form
When returning the Confidential Customer Checklist and copies of the records, please use this page as either a Fax Cover Sheet or Mail Return Form.
To |
Data Collection Specialist |
Fax |
«TOLL_FAX_NUMBER» |
Phone |
«TOLL_PHONE_NUMBER» |
From |
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Reference Number |
«GID» |
Date |
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Total Pages (including cover sheet) |
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Please send mail to:
M
«MEPS_MAIL_ADDRESS»
REFERENCE#: «GID»
This fax includes confidential information, and may be used only by the person or entity to which it is addressed. If the receiver of this fax is not the intended recipient or his or her authorized agent, the receiver is hereby notified that dissemination, distribution or copying of this fax is prohibited. If you have received this fax in error, please notify the sender by calling «TOLL_PHONE_NUMBER» and destroy the contents of this fax immediately. Thank you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)?
MEPS is a nationwide research study conducted to learn more about the health care services people use, the charges for those services and the sources that pay for them. MEPS is conducted annually by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Major components of MEPS include surveys of:
A nationally representative sample of households;
Hospitals, physicians, home care providers, and pharmacies reported by the household participants; and
Providers of health insurance.
MEPS is the most complete source of data available on health care use and expenses in the United States and is used by government policymakers and private researchers.
How are pharmacies chosen for the MEPS Pharmacy Component?
Pharmacies were named by respondents in the household data collection as sources of prescribed drugs during 2014. These household respondents signed HIPAA-compliant forms authorizing and requesting each of their pharmacies to release the information sought by the study.
How do I know the information will be kept confidential?
The confidentiality of data collected for MEPS is protected by Federal law under Sections 944(c) and 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 299c-3(c) and 242m(d)]. No information that could identify an individual or establishment will be disclosed unless that individual or establishment has consented to such a disclosure.
Personal identifying information such as names or addresses are removed before information from the study is made available to researchers. Findings are published in statistical summaries and tables and micro-data is released on “public use” data files.
Why should this pharmacy participate?
Prescription medicines are a major component of health care costs. The information that you supply will supplement that given by your customer and help us build a more complete picture of health care expenditures for respondents in our study. Your customers have asked specifically for your help by signing the authorization form.
Who is collecting this data?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has chosen RTI International (RTI) and Social and Scientific Systems, Inc. (SSS) to administer the study. A professionally trained data collection specialist from RTI-SSS will contact each pharmacy.
What information is
needed?
For
each of the customers on the enclosed list, we need this information
about their prescriptions. For each prescription in 2014, we will
need:
Date Filled
NDC
Quantity Dispensed
Drug Name
Days supplied (if available)
Customer Payment per Rx
3rd Party Payment per Rx
3rd Party Type (e.g., Medicare, Private, Manufacturer Discount etc.)
What questions will the data collected answer?
MEPS data provide answers to many important questions. For example:
How much of prescription costs are covered by insurance?
What do people pay out of pocket for medications?
What medicines are people receiving?
What types of medications are not covered by insurance plans?
This fax includes confidential information, and may be used only by the person or entity to which it is addressed. If the receiver of this fax is not the intended recipient or his or her authorized agent, the receiver is hereby notified that dissemination, distribution or copying of this fax is prohibited. If you have received this fax in error, please notify the sender by calling «TOLL_PHONE_NUMBER» and destroy the contents of this fax immediately. Thank you.
Notice - Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 5 minutes per patient. Any comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden should be sent to: AHRQ/MEPS Reports Clearance Officer, John M. Eisenberg Building, Room 5036, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, MD 20850, Attention: PRA Paperwork Reduction Project (0935-0118). (Please do not send patient data to this address as it will delay data processing.)
File Type | application/msword |
Author | jstockdale |
Last Modified By | Dowd, Kathryn L. |
File Modified | 2015-08-31 |
File Created | 2015-08-31 |