Data Analytics

Exceptional Data Analytics

Hilltop’s expertise extends to linking disparate data sets at the individual level and developing derived variables for a more holistic view of an individual’s experience in the health and social services delivery systems. We employ advanced statistical methods to create algorithms that identify a given individual’s risk of adverse events such as hospitalization or nursing home admission to provide guidance for care coordination teams. We also use analytics to target at-risk populations for intervention programs and create comparison groups using propensity score matching and other techniques. We collaborate with academic researchers on data-driven development and evaluation of health care financing and delivery system reforms. We build, administer, and analyze provider and client surveys designed to inform the development of service delivery programs and monitor the quality of services provided.

Hilltop specializes in working with Medicaid data. We maintain a secure, HIPAA-compliant data repository containing Maryland Medicaid and Medicare administrative data, hospital discharge data, nursing home assessment data (the federal Minimum Data Set), and assessment data for individuals receiving long-term services and supports. We have conducted sophisticated analyses of Marylanders enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid (“dual-eligible beneficiaries”) using a linked Medicare-Medicaid data set. We frequently acquire social services data sets to link to Medicaid data for special studies, such as Vital Statistics, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), low-income energy assistance, and school attendance data. We have also analyzed Medicaid data from other states. We have conducted research using commercial data from Maryland’s all-payer claims database. Hilltop is working with other partners in AcademyHealth’s State-University Partnership Learning Network (SUPLN) to develop the Medicaid Outcomes Distributed Research Network (MODRN), which is enabling us to conduct cross-state research on Medicaid using a common data model.

The Maryland Medicaid DataPort is a new platform that lets users configure custom reports on Medicaid enrollment by coverage group, fiscal or calendar year, county or region of residence, and participant demographics. The DataPort can also generate custom reports on health plans participating in HealthChoice—Maryland’s Medicaid managed care program. The DataPort contains data from Maryland Medicaid MMIS2, which are updated monthly and are available back to January 2013. Additional features are under development.

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Geocoding Data Analytics Map

In January 2014, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a final rule defining what constitutes a home and community-based service (HCBS) setting. Geographic proximity to an institution can be an indicator of community integration. For the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration, Hilltop used geo-coding to map and validate compliance information reported by HCBS providers through an electronic assessment. View Poster.

For more examples of how Hilltop employs data visualizations to inform state health policy, go to data.hilltopinstitute.org.

Staff Expert

Morgan Henderson

Morgan Henderson

Principal Data Scientist

Contact

For media inquiries, please contact Marsha Willis.