Requesting use of NBER Collection of HCUP Data

The NBER has a current data use agreement with HCUP. NBER affiliated faculty may apply to reuse the data and may sponsor their students to use the data.

 

The data in our collection is not a complete list of HCUP data. If you are interested in HCUP data not on our list, please contact Alterra Milone, NBER's HCUP Data Custodian, at alterra@nber.org.

The HCUP Central Distributor is in the midst of significant system and process changes that have affected the application process to reuse HCUP data at NBER. The current interim process for state data reuse is detailed below but please email Alterra Milone, alterra@nber.org, for up to date information on how to obtain access or for access to the Nationwide datasets.

To request reuse of the data for your project you will need to:

  1. Complete the HCUP training and save a copy of your certificate http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/tech_assist/dua.jspDraft
  2. The Principal Investigator of the project should complete and sign the HCUP-State-Data-Re-use-Application-Kit. This form requires a statement of intended use and project description as well as a detailed list of the requested data. The PI's contact  information and DUA are included in this packet. Any additional investigators or research assistants on the project should complete and sign the forms in HCUP-NonPurchaser_SubmitDUA.pdf. Please make sure the requested data is the same in both documents.
  3. Submit the completed packets and training certificates to Alterra Milone, alterra@nber.org. She will co-sign the forms and submit them to AHRQ for processing
  4. An NBER Institutional Review Board (IRB) determination is required before you begin your project. Once HCUP has approved your project, we will forward the materials to the NBER IRB for review. The IRB may contact you for additional information. Instructions on their process can be found at https://www.nber.org/human-subjects-protection-and-institutional-review-board-irb. You may need to complete a CITI Human Subjects training course. 


Once the HCUP and IRB approvals are in place we will enable your access to the appropriate data. We want to flag that you will discover in the DUA, it is prohibited to link the discharge records of persons in the HCUP data with individually identifiable records from any other source, in case you were planning to do such a thing. The data also needs to remain on NBER servers, i.e. you should not be downloading the data to your own computer for your use.