Updated Overview of the SEER-Medicare Data: Enhanced Content and Applications

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Cancer Epidemiology
• Biostatistics

Background:

• The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare-linked database has been available for nearly 30 years.
• It has been expanded over time to provide deeper insights into cancer care from screening through end-of-life.
• This resource is crucial for understanding the continuum of cancer care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of the SEER-Medicare database for potential users.
• To introduce how the data can support innovative epidemiologic and health services research.
• To present descriptive data on beneficiaries aged 65 and older.

Main Methods:

• The study focuses on descriptive data from the SEER-Medicare database for the years 2011–2015.
• Data include beneficiary demographics, cancer characteristics, service settings, and Medicare coverage (Parts A, B, C, D).
• Includes analysis of healthcare utilization (number of services or bills) for cancer cases and non-cancer controls.

Main Results:

• Between 2011 and 2015, the database incorporated 857,056 cancer patients and 601,470 non-cancer controls.
• Detailed tumor characteristics and clinical data are available for cancer cases.
• Healthcare utilization data cover hospitals, outpatient facilities, providers, hospice, home health, and pharmacies for both groups.

Conclusions:

• The SEER-Medicare database is a valuable resource for cancer health services research.
• Its large sample size and comprehensive data on cancer patients and controls facilitate unique studies.
• The database supports research across the cancer care continuum.