Use of SEER-Medicare Data for Measuring Cancer Surgery

The agreement of SEER and Medicare data appears to be good for major surgical procedures and for excluding persons who did not undergo cancer-directed surgery. Both the SEER and the Medicare data captured a small number of surgeries not reported in the other file. Therefore, where possible, using both data sources will enhance identification of surgeries. Because the analysis was performed with linked data, the accuracy of surgical claims in Medicare data alone cannot be assessed.