Alive or dead: Validity of the Social Security Administration Death Master File after 2011.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To determine the reliability of the Social Security Death Master File (DMF) after the November 2011 changes limiting the inclusion of state records.

Data sources

Secondary data from the DMF, New York State (NYS) and New Jersey (NJ) Vital Statistics (VS), and institutional data warehouse.

Study design

Retrospective study. Two cohorts: discharge date before November 1, 2011, (pre-2011) or after (post-2011). Death in-hospital used as gold standard. NYS VS used for out-of-hospital death. Sensitivity, specificity, Cohen's Kappa, and 1-year survival calculated.

Data collection methods

Patients matched to DMF using Social Security Number, or date of birth and Soundex algorithm. Patients matched to NY and NJ VS using probabilistic linking.

Principal findin

SUBMITTER: Levin MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6338290 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature