Record linkage of healthcare insurance claims

Limitations of current record linkage techniques include difficulty in handling large and heterogeneous data sets, low sensitivity in deterministic matching, the necessity to provide a priori weights for probabilistic matching, low computational efficiency, and complex software. This paper provides a detailed description of a method developed for purposes of linking records of individuals across time and geography. The procedure for record-linkage consists of three major components: data standardization, weight estimation, and matching. The proposed method was designed to incorporate a combination of exact and probabilistic matching techniques. The procedure was validated using convergent, divergent, and criterion- validity measures. The authors feel that the procedure outlined in this paper is a first step in addressing the current trend toward larger and more complex databases.