Medicare Geographic Variation in Spending and Quality by State and County

Medicare Geographic Variation data provides demographic, spending, use, and quality indicators for the Original Medicare population. The dataset covers national, state, and county levels, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Spending figures are standardized to remove geographic differences in payment rates.

Use Cases

• Analyze geographic differences in standardized per capita costs across states and counties.
• Compare use and quality indicators for the Original Medicare population at different geographic levels.
• Investiate demographic factors in relation to healthcare spending and service use variations.

Strengths

• Data is standardized to remove geographic differences in payment rates, enabling direct cost comparisons.
• Covers multiple geographic levels including national, state, and county, plus territories.

Limitations

• Standardization does not adjust for differences in beneficiaries' health status, which may confound comparisons.
• Row and column counts, data size, and specific sample data are unavailable for assessment.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Freshness

Last updated on 2025-12-11.

Geography

National, state, and county levels including District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.