Journal article
The T-MSIS Analytic Files (TAF) Analysis Reporting Checklist: A Guide for Research Using Medicaid Claims Data
JAMA health forum, v 6(10), e253622
03 Oct 2025
PMID: 41134558
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Importance Medicaid is the single largest source of health care coverage in the US, but health policy research on the Medicaid program has historically lagged research on Medicare due to limited availability of high-quality administrative claims data across states. In 2019, the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the T-MSIS Analytic Files (TAF), a new-generation federal Medicaid claims dataset that has catalyzed policy-relevant research on the Medicaid program. TAF data are highly complex, however, with meaningful differences in quality across states, years, and data elements. There is an urgent need for standardized reporting guidelines to ensure TAF-based research is high quality and reproducible.
Objective To develop a checklist to guide reporting of research using the TAF data.
Evidence Review The development of the TAF Analysis Reporting Checklist was led by a subcommittee of the Medicaid Data Learning Network (MDLN), a national consortium of research teams focused on developing and disseminating best practices for conducting health services research with the TAF data. The subcommittee first created a draft checklist drawing from published technical guidance on proper use of the TAF data, as well as published analyses of TAF data quality. This draft was iteratively refined based on feedback from (1) MDLN members; (2) the MDLN Advisory Group, composed of leaders in academia, government, and industry with Medicaid claims experience; (3) editors of health policy journals; and (4) the broader Medicaid research community.
Findings The final checklist includes 4 categories of items that are recommended for reporting in studies using the TAF data. This includes (1) details on the specific data used (files, years, release versions, and size of the data extract), (2) how the analytic sample was defined (eligibility criteria, enrollment span, and scope of benefits), (3) what states and/or territories were excluded from the analysis based on data quality concerns (and the exclusion criteria used to do so), and (4) additional information on special considerations, including use of spending data and changes in data quality over time.
Conclusions and Relevance The TAF Analysis Reporting Checklist represents a consensus effort to identify items researchers should report to promote transparency and reproducibility in TAF-based studies. This reporting is a key step in safeguarding the quality of research used to inform Medicaid policy.
Metrics
11 Record Views
Details
- Title
- The T-MSIS Analytic Files (TAF) Analysis Reporting Checklist
- Creators
- William L. Schpero - Cornell UniversityK. John McConnell - Oregon Health & Science UniversityGreta Bushnell - Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyAlina Denham - Stony Brook SchoolPatience M. Dow - Brown UniversityShashi N. Kapadia - Cornell UniversityStephan R. Lindner - Oregon Health & Science UniversityHillary Samples - Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyLindsay Shea - Drexel UniversityKelsey Watson - Oregon Health & Science UniversitySarah H. Gordon - Boston University
- Publication Details
- JAMA health forum, v 6(10), e253622
- Publisher
- JAMA Network
- Number of pages
- 10
- Grant note
- Commonwealth FundPhysicians Foundation Center for the Study of Physician Practice LeadershipNational Institute on Minority Health and Health DisparitiesNational Institute on Drug AbuseRobert Wood Johnson Foundation
This work was supported by funding from the Commonwealth Fund (grant 24-24071) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (grant 81931) to Drs Schpero, McConnell, and Gordon as well as funding from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to Dr Schpero (grant R01 MD018178), funding from the Physicians Foundation Center for the Study of Physician Practice & Leadership at Weill Cornell Medicine to Dr Schpero, and funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to Dr Kapadia (grant K01 DA048172) and Dr Samples (grant K01 DA049950).
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Urban Health Collaborative; A.J. Drexel Autism Institute; Health Management and Policy
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001626473800003
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105019822822
- Other Identifier
- 991022125426604721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Health Care Sciences & Services
- Health Policy & Services
- Public, Environmental & Occupational Health