Data Linkages

Researchers will be able to link the NDWS surveys with the other data sources outlined below through the NIA Data LINKAGE Program.

Visit How to Access Data for more information on accessing the data described here.

Visit the Resources page to watch a video explaining more about the data linkages highlighted here.

CMS Data

Through the NIA-supported LINKAGE platform, the NDWS surveys can be linked with beneficiary- and resident-level claims, encounter, and assessment CMS data. In Year 1, these linkages will be available for the Community Clinician Survey (using respondent NPI), the Nursing Home Staff Survey (using participating facility CCN), and the Home Care Staff Survey (using agency CCN, where the participating agency is a CMS-certified home health agency). Files available to researchers through LINKAGE—with appropriate justification—include: traditional Medicare (1991-2023), Medicare Advantage (2015-2021), Medicare Part D (2013-2021), Medicaid (MAX from 1999-2015); TMSIS from 2014-2022), Minimum Data Set (1999-2022), and OASIS (1999-2022).

Claims-Based Summary Files

The NDWS team will use PLWD-level data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare claims and the Minimum Data Set to prepare annual summary files of clinical characteristics and outcomes of PLWD cared for by NDWS survey respondents. The goal of these files is to facilitate and accelerate researchers’ ability to objectively examine the relationship between workforce characteristics and the health care delivered to PLWD.

Annual summary files will be created at the clinician-, facility-, or agency-levels and include demographic characteristics, payer information, clinical characteristics, and health care use.

Year 1 Data

Year 1 Community Clinician Data Dictionary (PDF, 446 KB)

Year 1 Nursing Home Data Dictionary is coming soon. In subsequent years, these claims-based summary files will be updated and expanded across all NDWS surveys.

Other Data Linkages

In addition to the summary files outlined above, researchers will be able to link the NDWS surveys to multiple additional data sources, including beneficiary-level claims and assessment data, local health care supply characteristics, and state-level policy information.

Available data linkages include:

Environment

Links with all four surveys by geography (at state or county level)

AARP Long-Term Services and Support Scorecard↗
The Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) State Scorecard Report data include 50 indicators measured at the state-level across five dimensions of LTSS - Affordability and Access, Choice of Setting and Provider, Safety and Quality, Support for Family Caregivers, and Community Integration.
Area Health Resources Files↗
The Area Health Resources Files (AHRF) provide data from over 50 sources on health care professions, health professions training, health facilities, population characteristics, economics, hospital use and expenditures, and environment at county-, state-, and national-levels. AHRF data will be available to researchers at the county level.
Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports Annual Expenditures Report↗
The Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) expenditures report provides state-level data on Medicaid spending for LTSS, including state spending on institutional services and Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), categorized by service type.
Social Deprivation Index↗
The Social Deprivation Index (SDI) provides a composite measure of disadvantage at the county-, Census tract-, primary care service area (PCSA)- and zip code tabulation area (ZCTA)-levels, based on seven demographic characteristics from the American Community Survey (ACS). SDI data will be available to researchers at the county level.

Process and Quality of Care

Links with Community Clinician Survey by National Provider Identifier (NPI)

Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners - by Provider ↗ - Data dictionary↗
This is an NPI-level dataset containing information on use, payments, charges, and beneficiary demographics and health characteristics.
Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners - by Provider and Service↗ - Data dictionary↗
This dataset is at the NPI-Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS)-place of service-level. It contains information on the number of distinct beneficiaries who received each HCPC service by each NPI in specific settings and the total number of each service provided by the NPI. The file also contains average charges, average allowed amounts, and average payments.
Medicare Part D Prescribers - by Provider↗ - Data dictionary↗
The Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider dataset is an NPI-level file containing information on the total number of prescriptions dispensed and the total drug cost paid for by the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program.
Medicare Part D Prescribers - by Provider and Drug↗ - Data dictionary↗
The Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug dataset is an NPI-drug-level file containing information on the total number of prescriptions filled and dispensed for each drug by each NPI and associated costs.

Links with Nursing Home Staff Survey by CMS Certification Number (CCN)

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Nursing Home Compare↗ - Data dictionary↗
CMS’ Nursing Home Compare is a dataset at the facility (i.e. CCN) level with general information on currently active nursing homes, including the number of certified beds, quality measure scores, staffing levels, and other data used in the Five-Star Rating System.
LTCFocus Nursing Home data↗
The LTCFocus Nursing Home dataset provides data on nursing home characteristics and care at the CCN level.
Payroll Based Journal Daily Nurse Staffing↗ - Data dictionary↗
CMS’ Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) Nurse Staffing and Non-Nurse Staffing datasets offer quarterly information at the CCN level detailing hours paid for each staff reporting category, such as Director of Nursing, Registered Nursing, Certified Nurse Aides, and other non-nurse staff, such as respiratory therapists, occupational therapists, and social workers, along with daily census calculated using the Minimum Data Set (MDS).
Payroll Based Journal Daily Non-Nurse Staffing↗ - Data dictionary↗
CMS’ Payroll Based Journal Daily Non-Nurse Staffing dataset presents information submitted by at the CCN-level, detailing non-nurse staffing on a daily basis for each facility, including hours paid for various staff categories such as Director of Nursing, Certified Nurse Aides, Respiratory Therapists, and others.
Payroll Based Journal Employee Detail Nursing Home Staffing↗ - Data dictionary↗
CMS Payroll Based Journal Employee Detail Nursing Home Staffing dataset offers quarterly information submitted by long-term care facilities, detailing staffing at a granular level with one row per CCN, per day, per employee, per job code, and per job type, including a system-generated employee identification number, work date, job type and employment status, and hours worked for each nursing home employee.
LTC Data Cooperative↗
The Long-Term Care (LTC) Data Cooperative (LTDC) assembles resident data from major electronic medical record vendors to support various purposes including healthcare operations, public health surveillance, and research studies. Researchers interested in linking NDWS surveys with LTDC data must first have their project reviewed and approved through LTDC.

Links with Home Care Staff Survey by CMS Certification Number (CCN)

CMS Care Compare: Home Health Quality Reporting Program↗ - Data dictionary↗
This is a data set released by CMS at the agency level that includes quality measure ratings for each agency.

Additional linkages will be added in future years of the study. Email us at info@ndws.org if you would like to propose an additional data source to make available.