CMS releases updated data on geographic variation in the Medicare program

Public Use File | CMS

CMS has posted the annual release of the Geographic Variation Public Use File and dashboards with data for 2018. The Geographic Variation Public Use File is a series of downloadable tables and reports that contain demographic, spending, utilization, and quality indicators for the Medicare fee-for-service population. It presents data at the state-level (including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands), hospital referral region (HRR)-level, and county-level. For 2018, the PUF includes data for 33.5 million Medicare beneficiaries and $357.8 billion in Medicare costs.

This public use file is available from the CMS website and can be downloaded at: https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/Medicare-Geographic-Variation/GV_PUF.html.