The Medicare database, which is comprehensive, current, and easily manipulated by computer tech nology, contains enormous amounts of information regarding hospital and physician practices. Access to the Medicare database greatly increased with the es tablishment of the Peer Review Organization pro gram. Recent Medicare data releases by the Health Care Financing Administration and the California Peer Review Organization demonstrate the potential usefulness of the Medicare database. Although analy sis of the Medicare database is in the early develop mental stages, the utility of the database will expand as analytic techniques improve.
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