Abstract MP48: Ascertainment of Newly-Diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation Using Cohort Follow up Versus Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Data in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

Background: Increasingly, administrative data are being used for epidemiologic studies to identify atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. Despite data indicating that administrative data could be a promising source for identifying AF patients, the ability to identify incident AF is not well understood. We examined the concordance of incident AF diagnosis based on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) data and cohort follow up in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Methods: ARIC cohort participants enrolled in fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare, both Parts A and B, for at least 12 continuous months between January 1, 1991, and December 31, 2009, were eligible for inclusion. Individuals with diagnosed AF before January 1, 1992, were excluded. Additionally, AF diagnoses occurring simultaneously with cardiac surgery, without a subsequent AF diagnosis, were excluded. In the ARIC cohort follow up, incident cases of AF were ascertained through hospital discharge codes and death certificates ...