Description

For event-medication-round link records, MEPSIDK uniquely identifies respondents across MEPS panels. It is created by combining PANELK, DUIDK, and PIDK. IPUMS MEPS staff create MEPSID for the 1996-2017 samples to provide a single, universal linking key for MEPS persons. Beginning in 2018, AHRQ modified the identifiers DUIDK and DUPERSIDK (which combines DUIDK with PIDK) on the original MEPS data files to append information about PANELK to the first two columns. This update makes DUPERSIDK identical to MEPSIDK in the IPUMS MEPS extract system for 2018-forward.

NOTE: Users should note that beginning in 2021, AHRQ discontinued the public use version of the RXLK file, which contains all K rectype variables needed for linking prescribed medicines and event records. AHRQ determined that the data in the RXLK file are not useful for studies of prescriber behavior because so few drugs link to prescribers. IPUMS MEPS continues to offer the RXLK variables for the 1996-2020 samples, allowing users to link prescribed medicines and event record data in these years. Users interested in the RXLK variables for the 2021-forward samples can refer to AHRQ's webpage on procedures to access restricted variables in a data center.

Codes

This is a 10-character string variable.

Comparability

This variable is completely comparable over time.

Universe

Availability

• 1996-2020

Weights

• No weights are available for this variable. Please refer to MEPSIDK for more information.

Flags