Public Use File (PUF)
A Public Use File (PUF) is a de-identified dataset released by agencies such as CMS for open analysis without privacy restrictions. PUFs support benchmarking of utilization, payments, and provider patterns, useful for market and revenue-cycle analytics.
What is a Public Use File (PUF)?
A Public Use File (PUF) is a de-identified dataset that a government agency, frequently the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), releases for open analysis. Because identifying details have been removed or masked, a PUF can be downloaded and studied without the privacy restrictions that govern patient-level data.
PUFs typically aggregate information on utilization, payments, provider characteristics, and service patterns. They are designed so that no individual patient can be re-identified, which is what allows them to be shared publicly.
How are PUFs used in analytics?
Analysts use PUFs to benchmark volumes, payment levels, and provider behavior against national or regional norms, supporting market research, competitive analysis, and revenue-cycle planning. Because the data is open, it offers a common reference point that anyone can examine.
For organizations studying ambulatory surgery centers or specialty service lines, PUFs can reveal where procedures are concentrated, how reimbursement varies, and how a given provider compares to peers, all without touching protected patient records.
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