The Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) provides state-reported Medicaid claims data for the population of Medicaid beneficiaries across U.S. states. T-MSIS data is critical for developing evidence-based practices to improve Medicaid services, including Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS). Researchers can use T-MSIS data to identify disparities in access to and utilization of services across states and demographic characteristics, including age, disability, rural/urban, sex, and race-ethnicity. This information can be used to improve access, quality, and outcomes of Medicaid services.
Though T-MSIS is the most comprehensive data on Medicaid beneficiaries that is available, there are known concerns regarding the completeness and quality of T-MSIS data. Researchers using the T-MSIS data to look at race and ethnicity among the LTSS population must be aware of the quality and limitations of the T-MSIS data or else risk putting out biased and inaccurate information. In the present brief, we examine the completeness of race and ethnicity data among adult Medicaid LTSS users, including adults receiving Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) and institutional services.
While the Data Quality (DQ) Atlas—which provides information on the quality and usability of different topics in the T-MSIS data, including beneficiary information such as race and ethnicity—assesses the quality of race and ethnicity data among all Medicaid beneficiaries, we focus our analysis on the quality of race and ethnicity data among adults who receive Medicaid LTSS.