Predicting early dementia using Medicare claims: a feasibility study using the National Integrated Health Services Information Analysis Asset

This feasibility study aimed to identify whether early dementia could be predicted from primary and secondary care service utilisation, as recorded in Medicare claims data, in the absence of diagnosis information. The 2 techniques tested showed that Medicare items associated with geriatrician attendances, imaging of the head, and some pathology had strong predictive value, especially where a patient has a combination of these items in their recent medical history.