SEER-Medicare Summarized Data

To make the information included in the SEER-Medicare BASE Files more accessible and less resource dependent, NCI created the SEER-Medicare Condensed Resource (CoRe) Files and the SEER-Medicare SEER*stat Specialized databases. Both will be updated with each SEER-Medicare linkage. (SEER*StatExternal Web Site Policy is the software via which researchers access and analyze SEER data.)

The CoRe Files and Specialized Databases include two cohorts of persons with cancer and commonly used cancer-research measures: enrollment, comorbidity, systemic therapy, radiation, and surgery.

The two cohorts are defined as:

  1. ABFFS Cohort: Persons diagnosed with cancer in 2000+ at ages 66+ who were continuously enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B fee-for-service (FFS), at a minimum, during the 12 months prior to cancer diagnosis through 1 month post diagnosis.
  2. Part D Cohort: Persons diagnosed with cancer in 2008+ at ages 66+ who were continuously enrolled in Medicare Part D, at a minimum, during the 4 months prior to cancer diagnosis through 1 month post diagnosis.

Persons can be included in both cohorts; the cohorts are not mutually exclusive.

A venn diagram of SEER-Medicare CoRe Cohorts from 2000-2019, showing 3.9 million ABFFS, 2.7 million Part D, and 1.4 million both.
Figure 1. SEER-Medicare CoRe Cohorts, 2000-2019

Comparison of SEER-Medicare BASE Files, Condensed Resource (CoRe) Files, and SEER*Stat Specialized Databases ("STAT")

BASE CoRe STAT
Persons included All Medicare beneficiaries with a cancer diagnosis in 2000-2019, as reported to SEER. BASE + included in the ABFFS and/or Part D cohorts
Data organization Provider-specific files
(e.g., in-patient or out-patient hospitals, individual providers, durable medical equipment)		 Cancer-research files
(e.g., enrollment, comorbidity, receipt of treatment: systemic therapy, radiation and surgery)		 Cancer-research variables added to SEER data
Information included Claim-level, all variables
(e.g., includes dates, diagnoses, procedures, location of care, and cost of care)		 Claim-level, select variables
(e.g., dates, diagnoses, and procedures)"		 Summarized claim-based variables
(e.g., yes/no receipt of treatment within specified time intervals- no dates included)
Last Updated: 29 May, 2024