Health data
Health data for research
Knowledge Enterprise hosts health data on behalf of the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) as the Honest Broker for Arizona State University (ASU) and Northern Arizona University (NAU) faculty researchers. Under the current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the Honest Broker maintains copies of several public health datasets. These datasets are available by request and upon approval by ADHS for ASU and NAU research projects.
All data requests submitted to the Honest Broker require approval by the IRB, ADHS and a completed data use agreement.
Vital records
ASU maintains a 5-year rolling data set for Arizona births and deaths. These data are reported by county and month, contain demographics, and are available as deidentified or identified.
Hospital discharge data
ADHS collects hospital discharge records for inpatient and emergency department visits from all Arizona licensed hospitals. These data include deidentified and identified demographics, facilities, discharge diagnoses, and providers.
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
The Arizona Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) telephone survey has been in existence since 1984 and is partially funded by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS)
Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) is Arizona’s Medicaid agency that offers health care programs to serve Arizona residents. These data contain Medicaid information on patients, providers, facilities, and cost codes associated with Medicaid patients.
Medical Electronic Disease Surveillance System (MEDSIS)
MEDSIS is a statewide system hosted and supported by the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) for use by local health departments for disease surveillance, and for individuals and institutions responsible for reporting communicable diseases. Data includes deidentified and identifiable surveillance on several reportable diseases including COVID-19.
Arizona State Immunization Information System (Immunization Data) (ASIIS)
The Arizona State Immunization Information System (ASIIS) is an immunization registry which contains immunization data on individuals. Arizona state law requires providers to report all immunizations administered to children 18 years of age and younger to the state’s health department.
Requesting ADHS health data
The Honest Broker will submit a request packet on your behalf and supply the data upon approval by the Arizona Department of Health Human Subjects Review Board (HSRB). The request packet includes three required HSRB forms plus any relevant IRB documentation.
Before submitting your request, ensure you have completed the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process and your proposed study is approved or exempted. Requests for health data can be submitted by completing the request form. PDFs of all the required documentation can be uploaded via the form.
Please note: Completion of ASU approvals does not guarantee ADHS approval. The ADHS Human Subjects Review Board reviews all data requests independent of ASU approvals.
You will need the following information to complete the form:
- Study title (as per submitted to IRB)
- Type of study
- Level of identification required
- IRB approval date
- IRB approval number
- Data source requested
- Time period required
- Inclusion/exclusion criteria
- The HIPAA compliant research environment where the data will be stored and analyzed
- Be prepared to upload copies of all required documentation
Once submitted, the request will be reviewed by the Honest Broker team and then forwarded to the Arizona Department of Health Human Subjects Review Board for consideration. To begin your health data request, click on the button to the right.
Download the required HSRB forms here:
HSRB – Confidentiality Statement
HSRB – Security Checklist (this is not required if you are using ASRE as your compute environment)
Or contact the Research Data Management Office for more information.
Synthetic health datasets
SyntheticMass has a selection of synthetic health datasets that can used without cost or restriction. If you have a model that you wish to test against actual data, this may be a good option for you.
If you do use these data, please ensure you cite them appropriately. Citation guidance is provided on the download page.
Honest broker contacts
Kathryn Claypool
Health Research Data Manager, Knowledge Enterprise
[email protected]
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0557-8330