Dialogue/Collaboration

PHORC will engage in a research dialogue with you to not only inform you of the services available through the Core, but also to learn about and adapt to your various needs.

A typical scenario:

A clinician or a researcher will approach PHORC with a research concept. The concept will be discussed in detail with the PI, its feasibility will be evaluated, and a study design will be proposed. Plans will be made to acquire the relevant databases, or to reuse ones that are already available through the Core's archive. The Data Use/Re-Use Agreement(s) will be secured, and approval from the Institutional Review Board will be obtained. The study, which is sponsored through the researcher initiating the study, will be conducted by the Core's analysts, and the findings will be interpreted and disseminated jointly by all individuals participating in the project.

Projects may consist of small pilot projects to gather and conduct preliminary data and analyses, the results of which can be used to develop a larger grant application. Projects may also consist of larger funded studies, carrying out the study aims outlined in a grant application.

Existing Archive of Population-Based Databases

PHORC is currently home to a number of population-based databases, including:

• 17 years of enrollment and claims data from the Ohio Medicaid program (1991-2008)
• Nearly 50 years of Ohio death certificate data (1959-2007)
• 10 years of data for select anatomic cancer sites from the Ohio Cancer Incidence Surveillance System (OCISS, 1996-2005)
• The Cancer-Aging Linked Database (CALD, 1997-2001)
• 18 years of hospital discharge data from the HealthCare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), including
  
  • National Inpatient Sample (NIS, 1988-2006)
  • State Inpatient Database (SIDs, for select states/years).
• American Hospital Association Survey Data, 2007
• Area Resource File, 2007
• Ohio Family Health Survey (1998, 2004, 2008)
• Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2010)
• Health and Retirement Study linked with Medicare (1991-2008)

Other Population-Based Databases

There are a vast number of datasets available and many of them are free of charge. Below are links which provide detailed explanations of each dataset. Please, become familiar with the resources that are already available and let us help you pick which dataset would be right for your study.

National Institutes of Health,  Health Services and Sciences Research Resource.

The Society for General Internal Medicine.

Obtaining Data User Agreements (DUA)

Many of the existing databases, such as the Medicaid database, cannot be used to investigate new research questions unless a new data users agreement is developed. PHORC will engage in a negotiation with the relevant government agency(ies) or research entities to obtain a DUA.

Obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

All research involving human subjects must undergo IRB approval. PHORC will work with you to fill out the appropriate forms to obtain approval.