2008 POS File
Guidance for 2008 POS File. It also indicates the POS files are now available for free download, a reversal of the previous policy that requires payment to access the files.
Issued by: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Issue Date: February 11, 2020
The POS file contains data on characteristics of hospitals and other types of healthcare facilities, including the name and address of the facility and the type of Medicare services the facility provides, among other information. The data are collected through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Regional Offices. The file contains an individual record for each Medicare-approved provider and is updated quarterly. The data is an invaluable resource to a variety of stakeholders, including researchers and application developers.
This file has previously only been available to the public for a fee. Now, the Provider of Services (POS) files are being made available as free downloads. The most current four quarters will be posted to this website and the December quarter for each previous year will be available on the left margin.
Data Format: Download files offered in both TXT flat files and csv self-extracting ZIP files. There is one file for the first 18 facility types, labeled “OTHER”, and one file for the CLIA laboratories, labeled “CLIA”.
FILE SIZE NOTE: File size is approximately 15MB – 36 MB and may be too large to open on a desktop. Compatible Software Programs: Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL/DB2/Oracle, SAS or other statistical software. (Note: Microsoft Excel or TextPad cannot be used to analyze the POS file)
Interactive files are also available on the Socrata platform at http://data.cms.gov/browse?tags=pos
| File Category | PRVDR_CTGRY_CD Value |
| Hospital | 01 |
| Skilled Nursing Facility/Nursing Facility (Dually Certified) | 02 |
| Skilled Nursing Facility/Nursing Facility (Distinct Part) | 03 |
| Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) | 04 |
| Home Health Agency (HHA) | 05 |
| Portable X-Ray Supplier | 07 |
| Outpatient Physical Therapy/Speech Pathology | 08 |
| End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Facility | 09 |
| Nursing Facility (NF) | 10 |
| Intermediate Care Facility-Mentally Retarded (ICF/MR) | 11 |
| Rural Health Clinic | 12 |
| Physical Therapists in Independent Practice | 13 |
| Comprehensive Outpatient Rehab Facility (CORF) | 14 |
| Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) | 15 |
| Hospice | 16 |
| Organ Procurement Organization | 17 |
| Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) | 19 |
| Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) | 21 |
| CLIA88 Laboratories added: effective 1997 | 22 |
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DISCLAIMER: The contents of this database lack the force and effect of law, except as authorized by law (including Medicare Advantage Rate Announcements and Advance Notices) or as specifically incorporated into a contract. The Department may not cite, use, or rely on any guidance that is not posted on the guidance repository, except to establish historical facts.