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Rehabilitation Dataset Directory: Dataset Profile

Dataset: Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Compare (IRF Compare)

Basic Information
Dataset Full Name Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Compare
Dataset Acronym IRF Compare
Summary The Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Compare (IRF Compare) is a facility level database developed and monitored by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Its purpose is to provide quality of care measures for inpatient rehabilitation facilities. Data are collected from Medicare claims and Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility-Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI) file as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) tool.

Note that patient level data are not available. All data are aggregated at the national, state and specific Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility level.
Key Terms Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility, Healthcare-acquired infections, Functional Outcomes, Unplanned Hospital Readmission, Quality of Care Outcomes
Study Design Longitudinal
Data Type(s) Administrative
Sponsoring Agency/Entity Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Health Conditions/Disability Measures
Health Condition(s) NA
Disability Measures NA
Measures/Outcomes of Interest
Topics State and regional variations in IRF quality outcomes.
Quality outcomes, healthcare associated conditions and infections, unplanned readmissions.
Hospital readmission, urinary tract infection, pressure ulcers
Change in functional outcomes, mobility and self-care and incidence of falls*

*These outcomes are currently being collected but are not yet available (February 2017)
Sample
Sample Population

Medicare participating Inpatient Rehabilitating Facilities nationally.
Sample Size/Notes 1,238 (December 2016) Medicare participating IRFs.
Unit of Observation

Hospital/facility
Continent(s) North America
Countries

United States
Geographic Coverage National
Geographic Specificity Individual Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities
Data Collection
Data Collection Mode Administrative claims data
National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) tracking system
Years Collected January 2015 - present
Data Collection Frequency Quarterly
Annually (hospital readmission rates only)
Strengths and Limitations
Strengths Data ideal for performing research on regional and state variation on quality outcomes.
Data can be linked with other Medicare and CMS datasets.
Potential for longitudinal analysis as additional time periods are incorporated.
Limitations Patient-level data not available.
Data based on Medicare participating agencies only, not necessarily representative of all inpatient rehabilitation facilities.
As of February 2017 several quality outcomes not yet available, therefore research use is currently limited.
Data Details
Primary Website https://data.medicare.gov/data/inpatient-rehabilitation-facility-compare?tag=&sort=oldest
Data Access https://data.medicare.gov/data/inpatient-rehabilitation-facility-compare?tag=&sort=oldest
Data Access Requirements Public Use Dataset
Summary Tables/Reports National averages:
https://data.medicare.gov/Inpatient-Rehabilitation-Facility-Compare/Inpatient-Rehabilitation-Facility-Nation-Data/nasn-k89k

Facility Level:
https://www.medicare.gov/inpatientrehabilitationfacilitycompare/
Data Components

The IRF-Compare data is comprised of 4 csv files:

  • Conditions: list of inpatient rehabilitation facilities with data on the number of times people with Medicare who had certain medical conditions were treated in the last year.
  • General Information: Characteristics of the inpatient rehabilitation facilities
  • Provider Data: A list of inpatient rehabilitation facilities with data on the quality of patient care measures in IRF Compare.
  • National Data: National data on the quality of patient care measures shown on IRF Compare.
Similar/Related Dataset(s)

Home Health Compare

Nursing Home Compare
Selected Papers
Other Papers

IRF Quality Public Reporting (CMS):

https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/IRF-Quality-Reporting/IRF-Quality-Public-Reporting.html
Technical IRF Quality Reporting Measures Information:
https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/IRF-Quality-Reporting/IRF-Quality-Reporting-Program-Measures-Information-.html

IRF-PAI and IRF QRP Manual:
https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/IRF-Quality-Reporting/IRF-PAI-and-IRF-PAI-Manual 

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The Rehabilitation Research Cross-dataset Variable Catalog has been developed through the Center for Large Data Research & Data Sharing in Rehabilitation (CLDR). The Center for Large Data Research and Data Sharing in Rehabilitation involves a consortium of investigators from the University of Texas Medical Branch, Cornell University's Yang Tan Institute (YTI), and the University of Michigan. The CLDR is funded by NIH - National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, through the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. (P2CHD065702).

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Acknowledgements: This tool was developed through the efforts of William Erickson and Arun Karpur, and web designers Jason Criss and Jeff Trondsen at Cornell University. Many thanks to graduate students Kyoung Jo Oh and Yeong Joon Yoon who developed much of the content used in this tool.

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