SEER 2015-06: Feasibility and Biases - Linking Kentucky Cancer Registry Data with External Claims Based Data to Argument Comorbidity and Treatment

As published results showed that the SEER cancer registry data missed about one third of data for radiation and chemotherapy treatment. Linking high-quality cancer registry data with insurance enrollment and claims data from public and private sources is an important approach to improve treatment information and assess adherence to evidence-based quality of care measures. The purpose of this project is to link the Kentucky Cancer Registry data with claim based data, such as Medicare and Medicaid claims data, private payer insurance claims data and state employee insurance data to argument the data elements in the Kentucky Cancer Registry data. Feasibility to create a sustainable process for the data linkage will be examined, and algorithms to augment the data will be developed and biases related to the augmented data will be examined.