An easier method to extract data from large databases: the Medicare Hospital Cost Report database

The purpose of this paper is to assist academic researchers to easily extract data from large databases like the Hospitals Medicare Cost Report Database that is published by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Though the data is inexpensive, the enormous size of the files may require a researcher to use a mainframe computer and hire a technical expert to extract the data in a form that is usable for a research study. Because we faced this dilemma after purchasing the database, we found a much easier means so that a single researcher could use a stand-alone personal computer to extract and manipulate the data. This paper describes the steps needed to accomplish that task. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]