OBJECTIVE

To describe key methods and issues in conducting survival analyses, especially using Medicare (and other) administrative data.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Survival analyses are rich , informative, and underutilized methods for examining out comes whose timing is important . Medicare files contain the necessary information for conducting such analyses, including identification of cohorts, definition of events, censoring of observations, and adjustment for covariates.

CONCLUSION

Survival analyses can readily be conducted using the information contained in administrative data files.