2012‐2013 VIReC Database Database and Met

Met

Cyber Seminar Series
2012‐2013 VIReC Database Database and Methods Methods Cyber Semina

Semina

Overview of VA Data, Information Sys

National Databases and Research U

October 1, 2012

Presented by:

Denise M. Hynes, MPH, PhD, RN

Center Director, VIReC
Session Objectives

• I t n roduce S i er es

• Provide Brief Overview of VA Data Sou

October 1, 2012 
o de o at o about

Series Objectives

To p or vide information about:• Different types of VA data and informat

systems

• Uses of VA data in past research research and po

po

new applications

• Limitations of using secondary data in • Resources Resources to support support research research use of V

October 1, 2012 
O i f VA D b f R 

Topics for Today

Overview of VA Databases for Resea

VA Databases

Processing Platforms and Access Port

Policies Governing Research Acces

Where to go for more help

October 1, 2012 
Topics for Today

Overview of VA Databases for Resea

VA Databases

Processing Platforms and Access Port

Policies Governing Research Acces

Where to go for more help

October 1, 2012 
Overview: Overview: Many Sources Sources of VA 

Administration/

operations data

Clinical

V l i f 

Financial Data f

ag

Veteran population surveys

October 1, 2012 
Overview: Levels of Data

• Local facility data• VISN level data• Corporate ( ti na onal) level

October 1, 2012 
VHA Corporate Databases Mon

• Produced Produced by Office of

Informatics and Analytics

(OIA), National DataSystems

– Includes 139 databases and

information systems

– Available on VA Intranet

(contact virec@va.gov for

url)

October 1, 2012 
Toolkit Toolkit for New Users of VA 

http://www.virec.research.va.gov/Toolkit/Overview.htm

October 1, 2012 
O i f VA D b f R 

Topics for Today

Overview of VA Databases for Resea

VA Databases

Processing Platforms and Access Port

Policies Governing Research Acces

Where to go for more help

October 1, 2012 
VA Databases

VA Inpatient Inpatient and

Outpatient Data

VA Pharmacy

Data

VA CMS D VA DSS VA CMS Data VA DSS 

Clinic

VA Co

D t W 

VA Vital Status Data W

D

File

October 1, 2012 
VA Inpatient Inpatient Data

October 1, 2012 
– 

VA Inpatient Inpatient Data

• Data element element examples examples

– Patient demographics– ICD‐9 procedure/surgery codes– ICD‐9 diagnosis codes

• Data steward:

– National Data Systems (NDS)

• Website/where to go to find more:

– http://www http://www.virec.research research.va.gov/RUGs/RUG gov/RUGs/RUG

IP‐FY09‐ER.pdf

October 1, 2012 
VA Outpatient Outpatient Data

October 1, 2012 
VA Outpatient Outpatient Data

• Data element element examples: examples:

– Patient demographics– CPT4 procedure codes– ICD‐9 diagnosis codes

• Data steward: steward:

– National Data Systems (NDS)

• Website/Where to go to find more

information

– http://www.virec.research.va.gov/RUGs/RUG‐M

OP‐FY09‐ER.pdf

October 1, 2012 
VA/Center for Medicare and Me

Services (CMS) Data

Medicaid Medicare Current B

Survey (MCB

Medicare Enrollment and

United States Ren

Claims Data

Long Term Care Patient

Assessment Data

United States Ren

System

(USRDS)

Data available for veterans eligible for VHA care and s

veteran data

October 1, 2012 
VA/Center for Medicare and Medic

Services (CMS) Data

• Data element element examples xamples:

– Demographics– ICD‐9 and CPT4 procedure codes– ICD‐9 diagnosis codes

• Data steward:

– VIReC’s VA/CMS Data for Research Project

• Website/where to go to find more

information

– http://www.virec.research.va.gov/Index‐VAC

October 1, 2012 
ocesses

VA DSS National Clinical Data

Decision Support System (DSS) National Data Extracts (

Financial

Systems Workload PatSystems

DSS Processes

DSS Data

LAB 

DSS Data

LAR 

October 1, 2012 
Cli

nic

ND

Es

p p )

VA DSS National National Clinical Clinical Data

LAB

(fact of lab)

al

LAR

(lab Results)

RAD

(radiology)

PHA

(pharmacy

prescriptions)

October 1, 2012 
–

VA DSS National National Clinical Clinical D

• Data Element Examples:

– Date– Test results– Ordering provider– Costs

• Data Steward:

– VHA Decision Support Office

• Website/Where to go to find more info

– http://www.virec.research.va.gov/RUGs/RUG‐D

2nd‐Ed‐CY09‐ER.pdf

October 1, 2012 
VA Pharmacy Pharmacy Data

Medica

Dispense

VA Pharm

Pharmacy 

Manageme

VHA Decisi

System 

October 1, 2012 
VA Pharmacy Pharmacy Data

• Data element element examples: examples:

– Generic drug name, days supply, VA drug 

• Data Steward

– PBM: Fran Cunningham Cunningham, PharmD– DSS: VHA Decision Support Office

• Website/Where to go to find more information

– http://www.virec.research.va.gov/RUGs/

2nd‐Ed‐CY08‐ER.pdf

October 1, 2012 
VA Vital Status File

• General description:

– Multiple sources of mortality information

• VA Workload Data

• BIRLS Death File

• Medicare Vital Status File

• SSA Death Master File

– Two files: Master and Mini

October 1, 2012 
VA Vital Status File

• Data element examples:

– Date of death (variables from the different s

and value selected as “best”)

– Last h l ea thcare utilization date

• Data Steward:

– National Data Systems

• Website/Where to go to find more

information

http://www.virec.research.va.gov/VSF/Overv

October 1, 2012 
Corporate Corporate Data Warehouse Warehouse 

National repository of VHA

administrative and clinical

d t a aRelational database

organized into data

domains

Data available from 1999to present and upd t a ed

nightly

October 1, 2012 
Corporate Data Warehouse 

• Data Element Examples

– Vital Signs– Immunization– Health Factors– M t en al H lth ea Assessment– Lab Microbiology– Lab Chem

• Data Steward:

– National Data Systems

• Website/Where to go to find more info

http://www.virec.research.va.gov/CDW/RG‐C

ER.pdf
O i f VA D b f R 

Topics for Today

Overview of VA Databases for Resea

VA Databases

Processing Platforms and Access Port

Policies Governing Research Acces

Where to go for more help

October 1, 2012 
Processing Platforms

• Austin Information Technology Center

Mainframe (AITC)

– Centralized computer processing center unde

Office of f In ormation and Tech l no ogy (OI+T)

– See

http://www http://www.virec.research research.va.gov/AITC/Over

gov/AITC/Over

for more information

• VINCI

– Secure computing environment for VA resea

– See

http://www.virec.research.va.gov/VINCI/Ovem for more information

October 1, 2012 
VistA Access Portals Portals

• Compensation & Pension Record Interc

(CAPRI)

– Provides read‐only access to national EHR– See http://www.virec.research.va.gov/CA

VistAWeb/CAPRI.htm for more informatio

• VistAWeb

– Provides read‐only access to national EHR– See http://www.virec.research.va.gov/CA

VistAWeb/VistAWeb.htm for more inform

October 1, 2012 
O i f VA D b f R 

Topics for Today

Overview of VA Databases for Resea

VA Databases

Processing Platforms and Access Port

Policies Governing Research Acces

Where to go for more help

October 1, 2012 
Criteria for Use of VA Data

in Research

• Employment status• Proposed use

• Data Steward requirements

• Sensitivity of data

• Physical Physical location location of data

October 1, 2012 
Approval for Research Data Access i

Multi‐Departmental

VHA Local CUPS Point of

Management Data S

CUPS Point of Contact or ISO

VHA O

VHA Privacy VHA Security Resea

Devel

VHA Privacy

Office

VHA Security

Liaison Office

October 1, 2012 
Data Access Requirements 

Determined by the Data

• National Data Systems (NDS)

– Corporate Corporate Data Warehouse arehouse (CDW)– Vital Status Data

– MedSAS (real SSN)

– DSS (real SSN)

• VA Information Resource Center (VIReC

– VA/CMS Data

• Pharmacy Benefits Management Servic

– Pharmacy Benefits Management Data (PB

October 1, 2012 
VIReC Data Access & Request Request G

www.virec.research.va.gov/Access/Access‐Req‐Guide

October 1, 2012 
Data Source Specific Acces

Information

www.virec.research.va.gov/Access/Access‐Req‐Guide

October 1, 2012 
Access to VA Data by

Non‐VA Researchers

D t a a contii a n ng P t ro ect de H lth ea I f n ormation (PHI

to VA researchers

Collaborate with a VA Researcher

Ob i ta n permi i ss on from VA Under Secretar

for Health

Exceptions Obtain HIPAA authorization from Veterans t

use their data

d id ifi d d d

Exceptions

Request de‐identified data under FOAI

October 1, 2012 
O i f VA D b f R 

Topics for Today

Overview of VA Databases for Resea

VA Databases

Processing Platforms and Access Port

Policies Governing Research Acces

Where to go for more help

October 1, 2012 
Obtaining Help

• HSRData Listserv

– Join at VIReC’s Intranet Web site– Exchange of current information, ideas, ques

answers about data and informatics issues af

research

– Discussion among close to 700 VA only resea

stewards, managers and other users

– Searchable archive of past discussions

October 1, 2012 
Obtaining Help
Obtaining Help

• VIReC Website

– http://www.virec.research.va.gov

• Research User Guides (RUGs)

– Vari bl a e‐level i f n ormation

• Technical Reports• Web‐site “Toolkit Toolkit for New Users of VA Data”

• Monthly Data Issue Briefs

• Help Desk

– virec@va.gov– (708) 202‐2413

October 1, 2012 
Upcoming Database and Met

Seminars

• Inpatient and Outpatient MedSAS Datasets

• VA Medicare Data

• Details of Requesting VA Data for Research

• DSS National Laboratory Data

• Outpatient Pharmacy Data

• Assessing Race and Eth i n city

• Measuring Co‐morbidities• U is ng CAPRI and VistAWeb

• VA Vital Status Dataset• Corporate Corporate Data Warehouse Warehouse Data*

*A set of separate sessions on CDW data will be given

October 1, 2012 
Questions?

October 1, 2012 
Next session:

October 29, 2012

Accessing Inpatient and Outpatient VA Health 

Denise M. Hynes, MPH, PhD, RN