Data Retrieval from Electronic Medical Records for DHS Researchers

USC, CHLA and DHS research teams can use the research data warehouse for study planning (feasibility assessments, power analyses) through their respective i2b2 portals. The self-service website allows researchers to find the number of patients at DHS that meet study inclusion and exclusion criteria. With the help of the CRI team, users can also extract identifiable patient information for screening or recruitment purposes with the proper IRB approval to do so. Once the warehouse data has been validated for quality, research teams will be able to perform large-scale analyses on the data already existing in the warehouse (e.g., epidemiology studies).

Self-Service Data Requests
Using the DHS Sage i2b2 application built to query the data warehouse, users can search health system data for de-identified counts of patients who meet certain inclusion and exclusion criteria (i.e., cohort discovery). The search tool is accessible via a web browser and is self-service.

How to get access
To Request an account, please submit a ticket to helpdesk@dhs.lacounty.gov referencing “Sage i2b2/account request”.For costs associated with complex data requests requiring the re-identification of patient health information, or data unavailable though i2b2, more information can be found here.

• Sample Size Planning / Feasibility Assessment: Determine how many patients in the USC, CHLA or DHS electronic health records meet your study criteria. View distributions of patients based on gender, race, and age.
• Recruitment or Chart Screening: Use i2b2 to define a set of patients to consider for your study. Then, outside of i2b2, work with the health system(s) to access MRN or contact information. IRB approval is required for identified data sets.
• Outcomes Research: Submit a data request for de-identified data for retrospective analysis

Self-Service data requests fulfilled through i2b2 are free of charge For more complex data requests requiring the re-identification of Patient Health Information, or data unavailable through i2b2 rates can be found here.