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Data Tools and Statistics


Search for Tools

  • American Fact Finder - (U.S. Census Bureau)  - An interactive database that is searchable for data from multiple data sources
  • Data and Statistics (AHA) - (American Hospital Association (AHA))  - Provides information about American Hospital Association data resources.
  • Data Locator - (Massachusetts Health Data Consortium (MHDA))  - Provides a categorized collection of mostly free or inexpensive resources that will answer specific data, i.e. numerical, questions.
  • Gateway to Data and Statistics Site - (HHS Data Council, Department of Health and Human Services)  - This web-based tool brings together key health and human services data and statistics
  • Geographic Information Systems - (National Cancer Institute, NIH (NCI))  - Serves as a central source of information about GIS and related resources. It consists primarily of links to other relevant sites.
  • Health Economics Resource Center - (Health Services Research and Development Service, Veterans Administration (HSR&D))  - A national center that assists VA researchers in assessing the cost-effectiveness of medical care, evaluating the efficiency of VA programs and providers, and conducting high-quality health economics research.
  • Health Services & Economics Survey Instruments - (National Cancer Institute, NIH (NCI))  - Provides access to several survey instruments for studies related to health services and economics, as well as links to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS).
  • Manitoba Centre for Health Policy - The Manitoba Centre for Health Policy(MCHP) is a research unit within the Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba (Canada) MCHP researchers benefit from collaboration with peers across Canada, the United States and Europe. MCHP does research on the health of Manitobans. We examine patterns of illness in the population, and study how people use health care services. Our primary focus is on the question "What makes people healthy?" Many factors affect one''s health, such as income, education, employment and social circumstances. At MCHP, we are sorting out the contribution of each of these factors. Our research helps health care decision-makers address some of today''s difficult questions: How can we make the best use of our health care resources? Who are the heavy users of health care services? What services will Manitobans need in the future? What factors - beyond medical care - determine people''s health? Have we overspent on health care by not getting at the root causes of poor health?
  • NIMH Limited Access Data Sets - (National Institute of Mental Health, NIH (NIMH))  - Web page provides information on limited access data sets and how to gain access to them.
  • QOLID - Quality of Life Instruments Database - (Mapi Research Institute)  - Provides limited free access to information on Quality of Life (QOL) and Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) instruments. In-depth information is available on a paid subscription basis.
  • QualityTools - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - A clearinghouse for practical, ready-to-use tools for measuring and improving the quality of health care.
  • Scientific Data, Surveillance, & Injury Statistics - (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC)  - Descriptions and links to interactive statistics and mapping systems including WISQUARS ((Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System) the interactive, online database that provides customized injury-related mortality data and nonfatal injury data and Injury Maps an interactive mapping system.
  • Social Sciences Data Collection - (University of California San Diego (UCSD))  - Allows easy access to raw numeric data, allowing each user to identify, locate, and obtain the data needed quickly.
  • VA Information Resource Center - (Health Services Research and Development Service, Veterans Administration (HSR&D))  - A national center that seeks to improve the quality of VA research that uses databases and information systems.

Data Repositories

  • Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource - (Department of Energy (DOE) U.S.)  - CEDR is a public-use repository of data from occupational and environmental health studies of workers at DOE facilities and nearby community residents.
  • Get Data - (United Nations)  - Each year the Human Development Report (HDR) presents a wealth of statistical information on different aspects of human development. All these data are available for download here in several different ways.
  • National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - NHSN is a secure, internet-based surveillance system that integrates patient and healthcare personnel safety surveillance systems. The Patient Safety Component of NHSN allows entry of event and denominator data for both device-associated and procedure-associated events as well as data entry for microbiology susceptibility and antimicrobial use. The data analysis features of NHSN range from rate tables and graphs to statistical analysis that compares the healthcare facility's rates with national performance measures.
  • Social Science Data Archive at Yale - (Social Science Libraries and Information Services, Yale University)  - SSDA contains public opinion surveys, surveys of economic behavior, surveys of electoral behavior, census data, health data, and economic and social indicators
  • SSA releases Benefits and Earnings Public-Use File, 2004 - (Social Security Administration (SSA))  - This file consists of two separate but linkable subfiles—one with benefit information and the other with longitudinal earnings information. Sample beneficiary records drawn from the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program can be linked to their corresponding earnings histories.
  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive (SAMHDA) - (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA))  - The goal of the archive is to provide ready access to substance abuse and mental health research data and to promote the sharing of these data among researchers, academics, policymakers, service providers, and others, thereby increasing the use of the data in understanding and assessing substance abuse and mental health problems and the impact of related treatment systems.

Health Statistics

  • Canadian Statistics - (Statistics Canada)  - Summary tables are organized by Subject including Health, Population and Demography and Social Conditions.
  • Cancer statistics - (National Cancer Institute, NIH (NCI))  - Provides cancer statistics on incidence and survival data from 14 population-based cancer registries and three supplemental registries covering approximately 26 percent of the US population.
  • GlobalHealthFacts.org - (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF))  - Global data on HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB and other key health and socio-economic indicators. The data are displayed in tables, charts, and color-coded maps and can be downloaded for custom analyses.
  • Green Book 1996-2000 - (U.S. House of Representatives)  - The Green Book is compiled by the staff of the Committee on Ways and Means of the U.S. House of Representatives. Users can Browse the older versions at GPO Access.
  • Green Book 2000 - (U.S. House of Representatives)  - 17th edition (WMCP: 106-14)- Background Material and Data on Programs Within the Jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means
  • Green Book, 2004 - (U.S. House of Representatives)  - The House Ways and Means Committee Green Book, WMCP:108-6, provides program descriptions and historical data on a wide variety of social and economic topics, including Social Security, employment, earnings, welfare, child support, health insurance, the elderly, families with children, poverty and taxation
  • Medical Cost Reference Guide - The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association fourth annual Medical Cost Reference Guide: Facts and Trends to Support Knowledge-Driven Solutions. The guide provides information on trends in the healthcare industry from nationally recognized data sources.
  • Medical Outcomes Trust - Is a not for profit organization dedicated to improving health and health care by promoting the science of outcomes measurement, and the development, evaluation and distribution of standardized, high quality instruments that measure health and the outcomes of medical care.
  • NCHS publishes new series "Data Briefs" - (National Center for Health Statistics, CDC (NCHS))  - Data briefs are statistical publications that provide information about current public health topics
  • New NCHS Health Data Interactive Web Site - (National Center for Health Statistics, CDC (NCHS))  - The National Center for Health Statistics has combined two interactive, web-based applications, Health Data for All Ages and Trends in Health and Aging, to create a new site, Health Data Interactive.
  • OASDI Trustees Report, 2002 - (Board of Trustees, Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance Trust Funds)  - issued by the Board of Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance Trust Funds. The Board of Trustees of the Social Security Trust Funds reports each year on the current and projected financial condition of the Social Security program, which is financed through two separate trust funds: the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund and the Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund.
  • Profiles of America - (United States Department of Agriculture (USDA))  - This Internet-based information system allows you to manipulate various socioeconomic data series used in many Economic Resource Service (ERS) products. Use the interactive tools to create and manipulate charts, maps, and tables—including multidimensional tables, such as poverty rates by metro/nonmetro status.
  • Quick Health Data Online - (Office on Women's Health, HHS (OWH))  - National, regional, state and county data are available by gender, race, ethnicity, and age. You can make your own custom tables, graphs, and maps.
  • Supercourse: Epidemiology, the Internet and Global Health - (University of Pittsburgh)  - Supercourse is a global repository of lectures on public health and prevention targeting educators across the world. Supercourse has a network of over 43435 scientists in 175 countries who are sharing for free a library of 3418 lectures in 26 languages.

Specific Instruments and Tools

  • AHRQ released the Healthcare Cost & Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database (KID) for 2003 - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - The KID is produced every 3 years and is a unique and powerful nationwide database of hospital stays for children. It is a sample of pediatric discharges (age 20 or younger at admission) from community, non-rehabilitation hospitals from States participating in HCUP. The KID is the only dataset on hospital use, outcomes, and charges designed to study children's use of hospital services in the United States.
  • Basis-32 - (Medical Outcomes Trust)  - This instrument is a 32-item self-administered questionnaire
  • Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC): Data & Statistics - (National Cancer Institute, NIH (NCI))  - Provides information on the variables of major interest to the BCSC, such as demographic data and health history of women who come to participating radiology facilities for mammograms. Also provided are statistics that provide an overview of the data collected.
  • CAHPS® - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Reports of surveys to identify the best health care plans and services.
  • California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) - (National Cancer Institute, NIH (NCI))  - Provides public health information for California's diverse population. Results on a variety of health topics are produced for the entire state and most counties.
  • CMS Chart Series - (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS))  - Home page for various Chart Series with recent data on spending, operations, and quality of care in CMS programs.
  • EBRI/Commonwealth Fund Consumerism in Health Care Survey - (Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI))  - The first EBRI/Commonwealth Fund Consumerism in Health Care Survey was conducted to provide reliable national data on the growth of high deductible plans and their impact on the behavior and attitudes of health care consumers.
  • HCUPnet - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - A free, on-line query system based on Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) data - provides access to health statistics and information on hospital stays at the National, regional, and State level.
  • Health and Retirement Study (HRS) - (National Institute on Aging (NIA))  - The University of Michigan HRS surveys more than 22,000 Americans over the age of 50 every two years.
  • The Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) - (National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA))  - HEDIS is a set of standardized performance measures designed to ensure that purchasers and consumers have the information they need to reliably compare the performance of managed health care plans.
  • HRET Disparities Toolkit - (Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET))  - Web-based tool that provides hospitals, health systems, clinics, and health plans information and resources for systematically collecting race, ethnicity, and primary language data from patients.
  • Massachusetts Emergency Department Database - (Massachusetts Health Data Consortium (MHDA))  - The Commonwealth of Massachusetts first required the collection of data from the state's seventy-seven hospital emergency departments in 2000. The Emergency Department database includes data elements that parallel those available for the Inpatient Database, such as demographic and diagnosis elements.
  • Massachusetts Inpatient Database - (Massachusetts Health Data Consortium (MHDA))  - Starting from data obtained from the Massachusetts Division of Healthcare Finance and Policy, the Consortium enhances Massachusetts hospital inpatient data into a population-based file ensuring 100% resident-based provider-specific information.
  • Massachusetts Outpatient Observation Stays - (Massachusetts Health Data Consortium (MHDA))  - The Massachusetts Outpatient Observation Database includes stays for patients who are monitored for a short period at a hospital but not officially admitted.
  • Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - A series of national probability surveys conducted by AHRQ on the financing and utilization of medical care in the United States.
  • Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) Statistical Briefs - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - MEPS Statistical Briefs are easy-to-read, quick graphical summaries of MEPS data very much like MEPS Highlights. These statistical brief are only available on the MEPS website.
  • Medication Error Quality Initiative - (Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research)  - Mandatory annual reporting of all medication errors observed in nursing homes in the State of North Carolina.
  • MEPSnet Query Tools - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Provides easy access to Medical Expenditure Survey Panel statistics on health care use, expenditures, sources of payment, and insurance coverage.
  • National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) - (American College of Surgeons (ACS))  - The ACS NSQIP is available to all private sector hospitals that meet the minimum participation requirements, complete a hospital agreement, and pay an annual fee of $35,000. Hospitals can benefit from participating in the ACS NSQIP for many reasons; most importantly the program can contribute to the reduction of surgical mortality and morbidity.
  • NCI Cancer Mortality Maps & Graphs - (National Cancer Institute, NIH (NCI))  - Provides interactive maps, graphs (accessible to the blind and visually-impaired), text, tables and figures showing geographic patterns and time trends of cancer death rates for the time period 1950-1994 for more than 40 cancers
  • NHDRnet Online Query System - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Access national data for quality of health care, access to health care, or for priority populations (race, ethnicity, income, or education) derived from the National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR).
  • NHQRnet Online Query System - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Access national data on the quality of and access to health care from scientifically credible measures and data sources derived from the National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR).
  • Patient Safety Toolbox for States - This electronic toolbox is intended to provide states with tools they can use or modify as they develop or improve adverse event reporting systems. The toolbox includes information (policies, practices, forms, reports, methods, and contracts) related to states' reporting systems, links to other Web resources, and fast facts and issues related to patient safety.
  • ProClarity Software - (Health Services Research and Development Service, Veterans Administration (HSR&D))  - A brief description of using ProClarity software for accessing the Veterans Health Administration Financial and Clinical Data Mart (FCDM).
  • Prostate Cancer Outcomes Study (PCOS) - (National Cancer Institute, NIH (NCI))  - PCOS is the first population-based evaluation of health-related quality-of-life issues for prostate cancer patients conducted on a multi-regional scale. Information about the patient population, data collection, and related research projects and publications is included.
  • SEER-Medicare Linked Database - (National Cancer Institute, NIH (NCI))  - SEER-Medicare data reflect the linkage of two large population-based sources of data that provide detailed information about elderly persons with cancer. The data can be used for an array of epidemiological and health services research.
  • Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) - (National Cancer Institute, NIH (NCI))  - The SEER Program is a source of information on cancer incidence and survival in the United States. It also includes a section on Cancer Rates and Risk Factors, and information on statistics, databases, data collection tools, and recent reports.
  • VA Health Care Atlas - (Health Services Research and Development Service, Veterans Administration (HSR&D))  - A profile of the veteran population, medical facilities, health care use, and costs for FY 2000 specific disease categories.


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Page Last Updated: 12-JAN-2009