"Once I started reading Matthew Gillingham's SAS Programming with Medicare Administrative Data, I had a hard time putting it down. His excellent organization and engaging style made the book a pleasure to read.

"Gillingham does an exceptional job of structuring the book so that the reader has full clarity on previous, current, and forthcoming material. I believe that this leads to a better and faster absorption of the book's material. Each chapter includes a review as well as a summary. Chapters 2 and 3 contain relevant discussions of the Medicare program as well as the data it generates. Chapters 5 through 10 present research questions, as well as solutions that are tightly integrated with SAS programming techniques.

"The book is well suited for readers at all levels of SAS programming proficiency. SAS novices will benefit greatly from the book's detailed explanations of the code. Advanced programmers will add to their repertoire of SAS techniques. I was particularly impressed with the book's assortment of DATA step tricks. An algorithm to convert multiple records to a single record in Chapter 5 is worth mentioning because I know that I will be using it repeatedly. This nifty technique uses arrays and loops to efficiently accomplish what most programmers would do in several steps.

"This book is a valuable addition to any health-care researcher's library."

Renu Gehring
SAS Consultant
Author of SAS Business Intelligence for the Health Care Industry: Practical Applications