TY  - JOUR
T1  - FInding pure and simple truths with administrative data
AU  - Sarrazin M, Rosenthal GE
Y1  - 2012/04/04
N1  - 10.1001/jama.2012.404
JO  - JAMA
SP  - 1433
EP  - 1435
VL  - 307
IS  - 13
N2  - 
Administrative data have been used to assess quality of care and variations in health care delivery for nearly 3 decades. Indeed, administrative data have provided important insights on racial disparities in care,1 geographic differences in utilization,2 and variations in outcomes across hospitals.3 In the absence of national clinical registries, administrative data will continue to be an important source of information about health care delivery in the United States because of their ready availability, low cost, and ability to span multiple years and health care settings. Moreover, in contrast to data from randomized controlled trials, administrative data reflect real-world treatment settings and unselected populations. However, users must be aware of the inherent limitations of administrative data to avoid erroneous conclusions.

SN  - 0098-7484
M3  - doi: 10.1001/jama.2012.404
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2012.404
ER  -