Government Sources: United States

Many Internet sites for consumers are merely extractions of materials from the National Institutes of Health, U. S. National Library of Medicine.

From the home page, there are cross-references to Health Information, Library Services, Research Programs, New & Noteworthy, and General Information.

The NLM's Health Information control page contains links to Medline plus Health Information, references & abstracts, clinical research studies, directory of health organizations, and information by specific subjects.

The National Library of Medicine has a locator plus home page for books, journals, and audiovisuals in NLM's collection.

The most common Internet site for consumers is the National Library of Medicine's Medline plus Health Information.

The overview of services offered by the National Institutes of Health, U. S. National Library of Medicine include Health Topics, Drug Information, Dictionaries, Directories, Other Resources, and Featured Site.

NLM's Health Topics within Medline plus contains links to healthcare issues by broad categories. In addition links to frequently requested topics include AIDS, back pain, breast cancer, diabetes, fibromyalgia, foot/ankle injuries & disorders, knee injuries & disorders, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's diseases, shingles, skin diseases, and thyroid diseases. The capability to browse the medical encyclopedia is also provided at this Web site.

The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) is the federal agency that administers Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). HCFA's home page also links various federal initiatives including Outpatient Prospective Payment System, Fraud and Abuse, State Health Reform, Statistics & Data, Information Clearing House, Research & Demonstrations, Laws & Regulations, Freedom of Information Act, and Privacy Act.

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The Honorable Tommy Thompson, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Honorable Thomas Scully, Administrator of Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) announced on June 14, 2001, a proposed name change. HCFA will become The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and will consist of three centers.

1. The Center for Medicare Management (CMM) will focus on managing of the traditional fee-for-service Medicare program. This will include development of payment policy and management of the Medicare fee-for-service contractors.

2. The Center for Beneficiary Choices (CBC) will focus on the Medicare+Choice program and providing beneficiaries with information on Medicare, Medicare Select, Medicare+Choice and Medigap options. It also includes management of the Medicare+Choice plans, consumer research and demonstrations, and grievance and appeals functions.

3. The Center for Medicaid and State Operations (CMSO) will focus on programs administered by States. This includes Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), insurance regulation functions, survey and certification, and the Clinical Laboratory Improvements Act (CLIA).

The general reference for HCFA's Medicare program is the Medicare Consumer Information control page. A click on the Overview of the Medicare Program provides descriptive text materials on Medicare eligibility, enrollment, and program information.

The national conversion (CF) factors for physician payment fee schedule under the Medicare program is also on the HCFA site.

The descriptive materials contain numerous links for more information on related topics. The contents of this Web site are available in English, Spanish, and Chinese.

The Medicare Consumer Information Web site directs consumers to seven major areas. Medicare Coordination of Benefits (COB) is designed to inform customers about Medicare as the Secondary Payer (MSP) and about their role in the COB program. The Intermediary-Carrier Directory lists names, addresses, and contact information for Medicare Part A Intermediaries and Part B carriers. The Medicare Health Plan Compare contains the Medicare Health Plan Comparison Database. Other key areas linked by this Web site are Medicare Publications, Medicare Deductible, Coinsurance & Premium Amounts, Program Integrity, and State Specific Medicare Information.

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A key reference for the HCFA's Medicaid program is the Medicaid Consumer Information Web site with links to an overview of the Medicaid program, Medicaid Fraud & Abuse Information, Medicaid Policies, Welfare Reform & Medicaid, Medicaid & HIV Disease, Medicaid Statistics, Medicaid Long-Term Care Information, Sharing Information in Quality, Medicaid Policy & Program Information, and State & Federal Medicaid Contacts.

Medicaid Statistics and Data can be accessed directly, but this site may be temporarily unavailable when HCFA is revising the contents.

An overview of the Medicaid program along with links to Medicaid Eligibility Information and Medicaid Services Information are presented on this Web site.

A simple control page for HCFA's Medicaid Program with direct links to eleven major sites is also available.

These cross-references include Medicaid Drug Information, Medicaid Long-Term Care Information, Medicaid Data Sources, Medicaid Statistical Information System (MSIS), Medicaid Statistics System for PCs, Medicaid Statistics Publications, and Medicaid Contacts. A revised format of this control page for HCFA's Medicaid Statistics and Data is also available.

Medicaid National Summary Statistics are available in tabular format. Medicaid Statistics Publications are listed as well.

The primary data sources for Medicaid statistical data are the HCFA-2082 and the HCFA-64 reports. There are some differences in the contents of these Medicaid data sources for the same state. The major differences in these Medicaid data sources are summarized in the control Web site that cross references HCFA-2082 report and HCFA-64 report.

CMS Data and Statistics provides access to National Health Care Indicators and Expenditures, Medicare Enrollment, Public Use Files (PUFs), Medicare Utilization and Expenditure Tables (such as MEDPAR), Clinical Practice Expense Program (CPEP), and Other Statistical and Data Links.

This site links the report on the development of Resource-Based Malpractice RVUs for physician billing and the 1999 Resource-Based Practice Expense Data Files for physician billing.

The National Health Care Indicators and Expenditures encompasses four types of tables: state health care expenditures for 1980-1998, health care indicators of recent trends in healthcare spending, employment and prices, national health care expenditures for 1960-1998, and national health care expenditures projections. The state healthcare expenditures are partitioned by all payers, Medicare, and Medicaid with specific information on personal health care, hospital care, physician services, dental services, drugs and other medical durables, nursing home care, and enrollee or population data. The control page for CMS Data and Statistics links all of these choices.

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Medicare Enrollment Trends are presented in three tables. The first enrollment trend shows unduplicated count of persons enrolled in either or both the Hospital Insurance (HI) and Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) programs. The second table shows those enrolled in HI regardless if they are enrolled in SMI. The third table shows those enrolled in SMI regardless if they are enrolled in HI.

Medicare implemented the Prospective Payment System (PPS) in 1983-1987. Information on Medicare beneficiaries using hospital inpatient services under PPS is called Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MEDPAR).

HCFA provides access to many files related to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security programs. HCFA Case-Mix Index File, Hospital Wage Index File, Reclassified Hospital By Provider File, ICD-9-CM Version 18.0 File, Prospective Payment System (PPS) Payment Impact File, PPS Standardizing File, Provider of Services Listing, Cost Reports - PPS Exempt Units files and Cost Limits data sets are among the Public Use Files (PUFs) provided by HCFA. These and other PUFs can be accessed on the web at the HCFA's Public Use Files page.

The U. S. Department of Labor monitors health plans offered by employers that are covered by ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974). There are many bureaus and offices with the Department of Labor (DOL), including Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, Employment Standards Administration, and President's Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation is an independent federal corporation that is related to the Department of Labor.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is an agency within the U. S. Department of Labor. The Home Page contains many options: data, survey & programs, news releases, contact information, economy at a glance, publications & research papers, occupational outlook handbook, mission management & jobs, keyword search of BLS web pages, regional information, and Freedom of Information Act Requests.

Consumer Price Indexes are prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Home Page for the Consumer Price Indexes (CPI) contains many options: an overview, frequently asked questions, contacts, revisions, new releases, data, reports, CPI fact sheets, and cross reference to BLS Home Page.

Within BLS, the Home Page for Bureau of Labor Statistics Data contains links to the most requested series, selective access, new releases, series report, and the economy at a glance.

The federal Agency For Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is focused on providing evidence-based information on health care outcomes; quality; and cost, use & access. Information from AHRQ's research helps people make more informed decisions and improve the quality of healthcare services. AHRQ was formerly known as the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research.

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AHRQ has links to research findings in many areas of evidence-based information on healthcare outcomes. These include evidence-based practice, outcomes & effectiveness, technology assessment, preventive services, clinical practice guidelines, health conditions/diseases, health plans, quality of care, and prevention & wellness. AHRQ also supports Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Healthcare Cost & Utilization Project (HCUP), Interactive Tool for Hospital Statistics (HCUPnet), HIV & AIDS Costs & Use, and Healthcare Informatics.

The U. S. Census Bureau in the U. S. Department of Commerce has a master Web site with six major segments: general information, advertising & promotion, partnerships, media news, plans & operations, and external outreach. The Census Bureau provides estimates of income and poverty for the nation's states and 3,141 counties.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) in the U. S. Department of Health & Human Services releases periodic findings from their investigations. The Web site lists the current year reports, but the reports for the prior two years are also available by links. The OIG's current year reports are listed on their Web site.

The United States Code can be accessed on the Internet. Government Printing Office (GPO) Access to the United States Code is explained by two references on the control page of the Web site. Click on "Additional Instructions" and "Helpful Hints For Searching the United States Code" for guidance in using GPO Access.

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