Canadian Institute For Health Information - Data Sharing Agreements

Data Sharing Agreements

CIHI tracks data in the different provinces with the help of information that is provided by hospitals, regional health authorities, medical practitioners and governments bodies. This information is used by these various bodies to asses the various facets of our health care system and use it as a planning tool. There are several different submission applications available, some being system specific.

Most clients use the application called eDSS (Electronic Data Submission Service) to provide a secure and timely method for sending data files to CIHI and receiving data files from CIHI over the Internet. eDSS requires a registered client access codes that provides a user the ability to submit data to CIHI.

Other applications include the Canadian MIS Database Submission reports provide feedback to those providing the data, ensuring that the data provided meets the technical requirements of the MIS standards, these are private reports that can only be viewed by a selected representative. The CJRR web based data submission tool allows those included in the Canadian Joint Replacement Registry to enter and submit data and produce various reports over the internet in real time. Home Care Reporting System submission report provides those authorized with secure and timely access to reports gerenated by through from the data that is provided by HCRS. And e-Management Reports, that allows clients to see a web-based snapshot of all of their data submissions to six of CIHI’s data holdings. Users can also access summaries of their submissions, statistics on error rates and timeliness.

Data requests

CIHI publishes statistics and health information that are generally available to the public and can be accessed through their data holding pages. Most of the information is general statistics but customized data requests can also be made specifically, which are subject to CIHI’s privacy policy.

CIHI has two different price points for their data request services. Charges are based on “production time, the time needed to review a data request, consult and develop specifications, manipulate and/or analyze data, seek CIHI support, performing data quality assurance and data transmission.”. The first price point is applicable to Canadian health care facilities, government and not-for-profit agencies, universities, health professionals and researchers in the public sector which is $137 per hour. The second price point is applicable to the private sector, foreign clients and others not qualifying for the previous price point and this cost is at $205 per hour.

Graduate Student Data Access Program

CIHI has set up a Graduate Student Data Access Program that provides qualifying graduate students with access to CIHI’s data at no cost whatsoever. Graduate students may only use this program in order to fulfill academic requirements of their program.

The objective of GSDAP is to:

• To build the capacity of graduate students to undertake health service research;
• To increase awareness of CIHI and CIHI’s data holdings, and the importance of data quality and privacy, as graduate students pursue health service careers.

Students must be conducting research and can access data through the various databases that fall under the following subject headings, health services, health spending and health human resources. Their research must fall in line with CIHI’s mandate “to provide accurate and timely information that is required for sound health policy, effective management of the health care system and public awareness of health determinants.”