                     ZIPList5 Medical MSA User's Guide

Thank you for downloading our ZIPList5 Medical MSA sample file. This file 
contains a representative sample of the data you will find in our current 
ZIPList5 Medical MSA database. The current ZIPList5 Medical MSA version 
contains about 71,000 records covering about 42,300 active ZIP codes.

This data is from some years ago, so the ZIP codes may be somewhat out-of-date. 
But the format and structure is the same as our current database.

This documentation file contains a lot of useful information about the database.


OVERVIEW

This is a special ZIP code and MSA database designed for health care
organizations which must meet the reporting requirements of the Health Care
Financing Administration (HCFA) for Medicare and Medicaid claims. In addition
to the 5-digit ZIP code, city, state, area code, county, and county FIPS code,
this database includes the HCFA-approved 4- or 5-digit Metropolitan
Statistical Area (MSA) codes, including the latest Goldsmith Modification, and
rural county codes for all fifty states. 

Note: You should use this database ONLY for those applications where the HCFA-
approved MSA codes are appropriate. For all other applications requiring MSA
codes, you should use a different database product, ZIPList5 Max, which
contains the Census Bureau/OMB-approved MSA codes. The HCFA MSA codes do not
exactly match the Census Bureau/OMB MSA codes.

This database contains the preferred city name, state abbreviation, county
name and county FIPS code, primary telephone area code, and HCFA MSA code for
approximately 42,300 ZIP codes. Additionally, the database also includes
approximately 28,000 "alias" city name records, for a total of approximately
71,000 records. Records in this database cover all fifty states, plus the
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Military ZIP
codes plus ZIP codes for the outlying Pacific islands are excluded from this
database.

The ZIPList5 Medical MSA database is formatted as a comma-delimited ASCII text
file, making it easy to import the data into most database programs such as MS
Access, dBase, Paradox, FoxPro, etc. The text file can also be searched by
most text editors and word processors, although the size of the file (about
4.3MB) can be a problem for some text editors. The database is also available
in native MS Access, dBase, and Paradox formats. Other file formats are
available upon request. You can also incorporate this data into your own
applications to look up such information as the city and state based on ZIP
code, or find the MSA based on ZIP code. 

The data in this database was compiled by CD Light from a variety of sources,
including the US Postal Service, the Census Bureau, Health Care Financing
Administration, maps, published telephone books, direct communication with
various telephone companies, and Bellcore. The most up-to-date 5-digit ZIP
code-MSA database available, this file includes all recent area code changes,
including those in Chicago, California, Ohio, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and
Utah. We have invested considerable effort in making this list as accurate as
possible. 

Because this database is a simple text file, it can be used on almost every
type of computer, including PCs and compatibles, Macintoshes, and UNIX
workstations.

Caution: not all of the city names in this database are approved by the US
Postal Service for use on mail pieces. City names with the Preferred? flag set
to "N" are alias names which are NOT approved for delivery to the associated
ZIP code. Note that a particular city name MAY be approved for delivery to
some ZIP codes and not to others. See the discussion below for more
information on the file format and proper use of the Preferred? flag.


COUNTY, ZIP CODE, AND AREA CODE BOUNDARIES

County boundaries, state boundaries, ZIP code boundaries, area code
boundaries, and time zone boundaries are all administered by different
federal, state, and local government and private agencies. As you probably
already know, cooperation between these various agencies is virtually
nonexistent. As a result, these various boundaries do not necessarily align.
This means that a ZIP code area may actually cross county, area code, and/or
time zone boundaries. (Do ZIP codes ever cross state boundaries? Take a look
at ZIP code 83422!) But each ZIP code record in ZIPList5 Medical MSA has only
a single field each for county name, and area code. An attempt to add
additional records to document all the variations which can occur would make
the product too complex and difficult to use, and is beyond the scope of this
inexpensive database.

We have attempted to provide the most accurate information for each ZIP code
by selecting the most prevalent county, and area code for each ZIP code in the
database. However, you should be aware that because of this boundary alignment
problem, the county name and FIPS code, and area code provided for each ZIP
code in the database may not apply to every address which lies within the
boundaries of that ZIP code.


INSTALLATION

To install this database, follow these steps:

  1.  Copy the file Z5MM.EXE from the floppy disk using the DOS COPY
      command, the Windows File Manager, or Windows Explorer to the desired
      working directory on your hard disk drive. Or download the file
      Z5MM.EXE from the Internet to the desired working directory on your
      hard disk drive.

  2.  Decompress Z5MM.EXE. The file is a self-extracting archive. Just
      double-click on the file name using File Manager or Windows Explorer.
      The file will extract itself from the compressed form to Z5MM.TXT.
      Hint: Windows Explorer may not show the file extensions, depending
      upon settings in the View | Options menu.

For non-PC systems (Mac, UNIX, etc.) you can download an uncompressed version
of the file or contact CD Light for other options.

You will need about 4.3 MB of free space on the target drive to hold the
uncompressed database file.


SEARCHING Z5MM.TXT USING A TEXT EDITOR

Many text editors can work directly with Z5MM.TXT. Just open the file and use
the normal search commands to find a particular city, county, area code, or
ZIP code. However, some text editors, such as Windows Notepad, cannot process
a file as large as ZIPList5 Medical MSA.


SEARCHING USING A WORD PROCESSOR

Many word processing programs can import a text file and search it using the
normal search commands. If you must specify the import file format, choose
something like this: "ASCII (DOS) TEXT".


IMPORTING ZIPList5 Medical MSA DATA INTO A DATABASE PROGRAM

You may wish to import the Z5MM.TXT data file into a database program where
you will be able to search the data more efficiently and sort the data into an
order which better suites your needs. Z5MM.TXT can be used with almost any
commercial database program, such as Microsoft ACCESS, Paradox, dBase, FoxPro,
etc. Note: Excel is NOT a database program; it is a spreadsheet program. Excel
cannot handle the number of records contained in ZIPList5 Medical MSA.

To import ZIPList5 Medical MSA into a database program:

  1.  Start your database program in the usual way. 

  2.  Select "IMPORT" from one of the menus.

  3.  Select the file to import: Z5MM.TXT

  4.  If necessary, specify the import data format. Any of the following
      terms may be used to describe the text format of the Z5MM.TXT file:

      delimited text
      delimited ASCII
      comma delimited ASCII
      ASCII (DOS) text

After importing the data, save the converted data in the native format of the
database program. You should be able to sort and search the data using the
normal sort and search functions of your database program.
     
You may wish to build an index for the database. Using an index may shorten
searches of the data by your database program. Note, however, that some
database programs cannot create an index for a data field which is not unique.
The data fields of Z5MM.TXT are not unique, since the same data can (and often
does) appear in more than one record of the file.


WHY ZIP CODES ARE NOT UNIQUE

The ZIPList5 Medical MSA ZIP code field is not unique (duplicates exist within
the database). The reason for this is that the database contains common local
(alias) names for some cities. Such a name is an alternate name by which that
city (or some part of that city) is known to local people. 

Some people object to using the "preferred" name specified by the US Postal
Service; these people may instead use some other, locally preferred name. This
can be quite confusing. Accordingly, we have included in the database these 
"alias" city names, along with the ZIP codes to which they apply. This means
that a particular ZIP code may exist in a "preferred name" record and again in
one or more "alias name" records. 

The one preferred name record has the preferred field set to "P", while all
alias name records have the preferred field set to "A" or "N". Note that in
some cases a particular name may be preferred for some ZIP codes but an alias
name for other ZIP codes. This frequently occurs when the exact political
boundary between adjacent cities is obscure, leading people to use the two
city names interchangeably within the boundary area.


RECORD LAYOUT 

The data records of the ZIPList5 Medical MSA file consist of nine quote-
delimited, comma-separated, ASCII text fields, arranged as follows:

"City Name","State Code","ZIP code","Area code","County FIPS code",
"County Name","Preferred flag","MSA","ZIP Code Type"CRLF

The fields are defined as follows:

FIELD            TYPE                     LENGTH

City Name        Variable length ASCII    28 maximum
State Code       Fixed length ASCII       2
ZIP code         Fixed length ASCII       5 numeric characters
Area code        Fixed length ASCII       3 numeric characters
County FIPS      Fixed length ASCII       5 numeric characters
County Name      Variable length ASCII    25 maximum
Preferred?       Fixed length ASCII       1 (P, A, or N)
MedMSA           Variable length ASCII    4 numeric characters
ZIP code type    Fixed length ASCII       1 char (P, U, M, or blank) 

The City Name field identifies a city name associated with the ZIP code (but
NOT necessarily with the County) by the USPS. There may be several different
city names associated with a particular ZIP code. If so, the ZIP code will
appear in several different records, each with a different city name. You can
use the Prefered? field (described below) to identify the one city name which
is "preferred" by the USPS for use on mail delivered to that ZIP code.

The ZIP code field lists only valid 5-digit ZIP codes currently defined by the
USPS. Obsolete ZIP codes which have been "retired" from service by the USPS
are not included in this database. 

A particular ZIP code may appear in more than one record if the USPS has
defined more than one city name for that ZIP code. If you wish to eliminate
the "duplicate" ZIP code records, you can use the Preferred? field (described
below) to isolate those records which contain the city names "preferred" by
the USPS for mail delivery. There should be exactly one such record for each
of the approximately 43,000 active ZIP codes.

The ZIP code field is treated as a text field, not a numeric field. This is to
prevent the loss of the leading zeroes in certain ZIP codes when the data is
imported into a database program. The area code field and County FIPS field
are also treated as text fields. Treating all fields as text fields simplifies
the importing and exporting of the data using a database program.

The County FIPS code field and the County Name field identify the "most
prevalent" county for the 5-digit ZIP code listed in a given record. This
relationship of the "most prevalent" county to a particular 5-digit ZIP code
is determined by the USPS, and we do not second-guess their decision. Note
that the specified county is related to the ZIP code, NOT necessarily to the
city name specified in that record. It is quite possible that some or all of
the specified city may actually lie in a different county (see discussion
below). Please note also that ZIP codes often cross county boundaries.
ZIPList5 lists only one county for a given ZIP code (the "most prevalent"
county, as determined by the USPS) no matter how many counties the ZIP code
may cross. Our product County-ZIP Code Database lists every county and ZIP
code combination, which is useful if you need to know EVERY ZIP code which
lies within a particular county or all counties which include a portion of a
particular ZIP code. If you wish to resolve an address to an exact county,
please be aware that you cannot determine the correct county with 100 percent
accuracy using the 5-digit ZIP code alone. For this you must use a different
product, such as our Perfect Address, which uses the full street address to
determine the correct county.

The County FIPS code is a 5-digit numeric field containing a unique numeric
identification assigned to each county by the US government. The county FIPS
code is actually a 3-digit code, but most people prefer to combine the 2-digit
state FIPS code with the 3-digit county FIPS code to yield a 5-digit code
which can be used to uniquely identify each county in the USA. If you do not
wish to use the county FIPS code in this way, contact CD Light to obtain a
copy of ZIPList5 with the 3-digit form of the county FIPS code. ZIPList5
Medical MSA includes a separate text file, stfips.txt, which defines the state
FIPS codes for all 50 states plus the territories.

The Preferred? flag can have one of three states, which indicate how that name
can be used for delivery of mail to the associated ZIP code. The three states
are:

P - This is the preferred city name for this ZIP code
A - This city name is approved (but NOT preferred) for this ZIP code
N - The city name is NOT approved for mail delivery to this ZIP code
    
For every ZIP code in the database there is one and only one record in the
database in which the Preferred? field is set to "P". This record contains the
one city name preferred by the US Postal Service for use on all mail sent to
that particular ZIP code. In addition to the record marked "P", there may be
one or more additional records with the same ZIP code in which the Preferred?
field is set to either "A" or "N". A record marked "A" contains an alternate
city name which may be used for mail delivery TO THAT ONE ZIP CODE. A record
marked "N" contains an alternate city name which is NOT approved by the US
Postal Service for mail delivery purposes to that one ZIP code. An alias city
name which is not approved for mail delivery should be changed to the
preferred city name for that same ZIP code. Note that a given city name may be
preferred for some ZIP codes and approved or not approved for other ZIP codes. 

We have included the approved and unapproved names along with the preferred
city names because people across the country routinely use these alternate
city names in their addresses, even though these city names are not preferred
or even approved by the US Postal Service for mail delivery. You can use these
non-preferred city names to verify an address and/or ZIP code, and then
correct the city name to the preferred city name, if you wish. Using the
preferred city name for all addresses in your database helps find and
eliminate duplicate addresses in your database.

Note that in some cases a particular city name may be preferred for some ZIP
codes but an alias name (approved or not approved) for other ZIP codes. This
frequently occurs when the exact political boundary between adjacent cities is
poorly defined, leading people to use the two city names interchangeably
within the boundary area. 

Here is an example:

ZIP          Preferred      Alias                        
CODE         City Name      City Name

80014        Aurora         Denver (not approved)
80220        Denver         Aurora (not approved)
80215        Lakewood       Denver (approved}
80202        Denver         (None)

ZIP codes 80014 and 80220 fall into the boundary area between the adjacent
cities of Denver and Aurora, Colorado. Because the actual political boundary
between these two cities is not clearly defined (at least in the minds of most
people), people often get confused about the correct city name to use within
this boundary area. Although Denver is listed in the database as an alias city
name for ZIP code 80014, the USPS wants the name Denver to be changed to
Aurora. Denver is "not approved" by the USPS for use as the city name for mail
addressed to ZIP code 80014. Likewise, Aurora is listed in the database as not
approved for mail addressed to ZIP code 80220. The USPS wants Aurora to be
changed to Denver for this particular ZIP code.

However, for mail addressed to 80215, for which Lakewood is the preferred city
name, Denver is an approved alias city name. For mail addressed to ZIP code
80215, the USPS says Denver CAN be used as the city name, even though Lakewood
is the preferred city name. So in this case it really doesn't matter to the
USPS which city name you use on mail addressed to this particular ZIP code. Go
figure.

For ZIP code 80202 Denver is the preferred city name. For this ZIP code there
is no alias city name listed in the database. Denver, therefore, is an example
of a city name which is preferred for 80202 and 80220, approved for 80215, and
not approved for 80014. And you thought ZIP codes are so simple!

The MedMSA (Medical Metropolitan Statistical Area) code is based on the HCFA
MSA definition of from August, 2000. The HFCA MSA list differs from the 
Census Bureau/OMB MSA definition in many areas. For that reason, this database 
should be used only for those applications where the HCFA MSA definition is 
appropriate, such as medical claim forms to be submitted to the HCFA. The MSA 
code used here includes the so-called Goldsmith Modification, which identifies 
rural areas of metropolitan counties.

The MedMSA field contains special MSA codes for the ZIP codes of all rural 
counties and the rural portion (if any) of metropolitan counties. These codes 
always have the form "99xx", where xx is always two digits. These two digits 
often appear to be the same as the two-digit state FIPS code, but that is not 
really the case. The MSA codes for rural areas are defined by HCFA, and do not 
conform to the state FIPS coding scheme. Note that the same rural MSA code is 
used for all rural ZIP codes of a given state.

The ZIP code type field identifies special kinds of ZIP codes. For normal
residential ZIP codes (which MAY include PO Boxes) this field is blank. The
following codes may appear in this field:

  P  ZIP code applies only to PO Boxes
  M  Military ZIP code (APO/FPO)
  U  "Unique" ZIP code assigned to a particular business or organization


SORTED ORDER

ZIPList5 Medical MSA data records are sorted in ascending order by City Name,
State Code, and ZIP code. If you prefer to order the data by ZIP code or some
other order, we suggest that you import the data into your own database
program where you can sort the data into the order you prefer.


MILITARY ZIP CODES AND APO/FPO

The USPS delivers mail to US military installations around the world. As a
result, the USPS has assigned ZIP codes to these facilities, even though they
are actually on foreign soil. These ZIP codes have been given a state code
which generally defines the area of the world in which they are found, and a
city name of APO (Army Post Office) or FPO (Fleet Post Office). The military
ZIP codes and assigned state codes are as follows:

  ZIP Code Range         State Code  Area

  09000 - 09999            AE        Europe
  34000 - 34099            AA        Central America (Canal Zone)
  96200 - 96699            AP        Pacific

Please note that these ZIP codes lie outside the territorial boundaries of the
United States, and therefore do not include county name, county FIPS codes,
latitude, longitude, MSA, PMSA, MedMSA, or Congressional District information.


ZIP Codes 83422 and 45275

ZIP codes 83422 and 45275 are unusual in that they violate the usual rules for
ZIP code assignment. 

ZIP code 45275 is assigned by the USPS to the Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky
International Airport. The USPS has assigned an Ohio ZIP code and the
preferred city name Cincinnati, Ohio to this ZIP code even though the airport
lies entirely inside of the State of Kentucky.

ZIP code 83422 is assigned by the USPS to Driggs ID. However, the USPS has
also assigned this same ZIP code to Alta, Wyoming. So 83422 is a ZIP code
which crosses a state line.

In both of these cases we have adjusted the county name, county FIPS code,
area code, and other information to match the physical reality instead of the
ZIP code. This means that 84322 has two different county FIPS codes and area
codes, depending upon which city and state name you use. And 45275 has the
county name and FIPS code of Boone County, Kentucky.


MISSING AREA CODES AND COUNTIES

All records for areas outside of the normal domestic calling areas of the
United States have the area code field set to "000". This applies primarily to
APO/FPO (military) ZIP codes and ZIP codes for some Pacific Islands. These
places also have no county FIPS code or county name.


UNUSUAL COUNTIES

Alaska Counties - Alaska officially has no counties, according to the usual
political definition of the word. Instead, Alaska has sixteen "boroughs", one
for each of the major cities. For statistical and budgetary purposes the US
Government (Census Bureau) has created eleven additional "Census Areas" to
cover the remainder of Alaska. These 27 boroughs and census areas make up the
"county equivalents" for Alaska used in this database.

Kalawao County, HI - This "county" formerly was a leper colony on the island
of Molokai. It has no county government. Many databases omit it entirely.
However, Kalawao has one small community of about 80 residents, Kalaupapa,
with its own ZIP code (96742), a post office, and mail delivery. For that
reason we have chosen to include Kalawao County in our database, even though
the USPS omits it from the "official" USPS city-state database.

Yellowstone National Park County, MT - This "county" is actually that small
part of Yellowstone National Park which lies within the borders of the state
of Montana. It has no towns, no inhabitants (unless you count the animals), no
county government, and no mail delivery. The US Government recently removed
this county from its list of "official" counties. For these reasons we have
chosen to omit it from our databases as well. Portions of this area lie within
the boundaries of three ZIP codes: 59027, 59030, and 59758, all of which are
assigned to towns in other counties.


WRONG COUNTY SHOWN FOR SOME CITIES??

ZIPList5 Medical MSA is organized as a ZIP code database. It is not really a
city-state-county database. The information in each record is related to the
5-digit ZIP code in that record. That can lead to some combinations of city
and county which appear to be wrong. For example:

  ZIP Code           City         State     County
  80214              Denver       CO        Jefferson

Some observant people have pointed out that the city of Denver and Denver
county are geographically one and the same. Therefore if an address is in the
city of Denver, it must also be in Denver county. However, according to the US
Postal Service, the ZIPList5 Medical MSA record above is actually correct as
presented. How can that be?

One part of the answer is that ZIP code boundaries and political
boundaries almost never exactly coincide. For that reason, the county
designation for a 5-digit ZIP code such as 80214 can be somewhat misleading;
some addresses within the ZIP code boundaries lie in one county and some in
another. That is the case with 80214: part of it lies in Jefferson County and
part in Denver County. To find the absolutely correct county for a given
address, one must always use the full street address or the ZIP+4, not just
the 5-digit ZIP code. Our product Perfect Address does this.

By examining the address data for ZIP code 80214 contained in the National
ZIP+4 Address Database (one of our other products), you would find that 1,749
address records indicate Jefferson County, while only 31 indicate Denver
County. Clearly at the 5-digit level Jefferson County is the correct county
designation for ZIP code 80214. That is the reason the USPS designates 80214
as Jefferson County.

The next question is what city name should be applied to 80214. This question
is not always easy to answer. The USPS explains that their "official" address
database is maintained by 159 different local "address management" offices
scattered across the nation. Each is responsible for all addresses within its
local district.

Now how are city names handled in the Denver regional address management
office? That is hard to say. As in most states, some parts of Colorado lie in
"unincorporated county" areas, where there is no "official" city designation.
For example, this writer once lived in an unincorporated area of Jefferson
County, which, for postal purposes, was given the name of the nearest town
within that ZIP code: Golden. So Golden was the city name of my address, even
though I lived miles outside the city limits of Golden. This same situation
seems to be true for ZIP code 80214. The people who live in 80214 are probably
happy to be called "Denver". Thirty-one address records actually do exist in
Denver city and county, while the rest lie in that unincorporated area of
Jefferson County which has no city name. Hence Denver becomes the most logical
city name to apply to 80214, even though more of 80214 lies within Jefferson
County than Denver County. Again, this decision was made by the USPS. So we
end up with a ZIPList5 Medical MSA record for ZIP code 80214 showing the city
name of Denver but a county name of Jefferson. Don't you just love it!


DO ZIP CODES EVER CHANGE?

Yes, ZIP codes do change, and far more often than you might imagine. Many
parts of the country are growing, with new subdivisions and streets being
added daily. As the population density increases in urban areas, apartment
buildings replace single-family dwellings. The US Postal Service is constantly
forced to add more ZIP+4 codes just to handle the growth. And just like area
codes, a given 5-digit ZIP code can reach its ZIP+4 expansion limit. This
forces the USPS to split existing ZIP codes and add new ZIP codes. When ZIP
code ranges become too fragmented or because of USPS service area changes,
entire ranges of 5-digit ZIP codes are sometimes "realigned". This happened on
July 1, 1996, on July 1, 1997, and again on July 1, 1998. Such realignments
can affect hundreds of thousands of addresses. It isn't unusual for hundreds
of new 5-digit ZIP codes to be assigned or hundreds to be deleted by the USPS
in each calender quarter.

Another source of change in ZIPList5 Medical MSA is area code splits.


QUARTERLY AND MONTHLY ZIPList5 Medical MSA UPDATES AVAILABLE

With all these changes happening so fast, it is hard to keep up. That is why
we offer quarterly and monthly updates for ZIPList5 Medical MSA. If you need
the most current ZIP code and area code information, we suggest a quarterly or
monthly subscription to ZIPList5 Medical MSA. A quarterly subscription
consists of four quarterly releases (the current version plus the next three
quarterly updates). A monthly subscription consists of 12 monthly releases
(the current version plus the next 11 monthly updates). Order once, pay once,
and receive a full year's worth of the latest ZIP code data. Best of all, we
offer this service at a discounted price. If you did not specify a
subscription when you placed your original order, contact CD Light within 30
days of your original purchase. We will convert your order to a subscription,
and credit your original purchase price toward the subscription fee. For more
details, see our Internet site, www.zipinfo.com, or call us at 866-256-2042.


ERRORS and OMISSIONS

We created ZIPList5 Medical MSA with care and considerable effort. The data is
as accurate as we can reasonably make it. We recognize, of course, that errors
are bound to exist, and that, over time, the data will become "out-of-date".
If you find errors, we would like to hear from you. Please send corrections to
us via any of these methods:

Voice      866-256-2042 or 281-292-3270
email      support@zipinfo.com

CD Light
230 N Tranquil Path Dr
The Woodlands, TX 77380
www.zipinfo.com
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