Creating Quality Improvement Opportunities for Medicare Beneficiaries by Linking Lab Values to Claims Data

The researchers linked lab values from LabCorp data to Medicare Parts A, B, and D claims data in 2010. They then assessed the generalizability of the LabCorp cohort, determined the completeness of the lab test results, and conducted a baseline evaluation of lab monitoring of creatinine and potassium among beneficiaries initiating certain anti-hypertensive medications. The goal of this project was to enable providers to improve utilization and quality of lab testing and medication management of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries and enable Medicare to track health outcomes in order to optimize provider care processes.