Available Data Sources
The AHEAD Institute warehouses large, research-ready databases to meet your project's needs.
Many databases are de-identified and using them has been deemed non-human subjects research by the Saint Louis University Institutional Review Board. Some data sources may require data use agreements and special training.
The SLU/SSM Virtual Data Warehouse captures de-identified electronic health records of more than 5 million patients within the SSM Healthcare System.
- Regions: Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin.
- Birth to age > 90 years.
- Ambulatory and inpatient data.
- 2008 - Present.
- Ideal alternative to identifiable Epic data.
Virtual Data Warehouse Summary
The Virtual Data warehouse variables include ICD-9 and ICD-10 diagnostic codes; Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), ICD-9-PCS, and ICD-10-PCS procedure codes; prescription orders; laboratory orders and results; vital signs; provider and clinic type; and demographics. Virtual Data Warehouse usage requires a data use agreement and a data request.
If you have questions, please email joanne.salas@health.slu.edu.
The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) captures de-identified electronic health records from non-federal hospitals in the United States.
- The largest collection of longitudinal hospital care data in the United States.
- Ideal for developing national and regional estimates of inpatient utilization, access, cost, quality and outcomes.
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Includes the following datasets:
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Nationwide Inpatient Sample: 1998-2017 (about 7 million hospital stays)
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Kids’ Inpatient Database: 1997-2016 (about 3 million pediatric discharges)
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Nationwide Emergency Department Sample: 2003-2017 (about 33.5 million ED visits)
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Nationwide Re-admissions Database: 2016-2019 (about 18 million discharges)
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- HCUP usage requires a data use agreement and a data request.
If you have questions, please email timothy.chrusciel@health.slu.edu.
TriNetX captures de-identified electronic health records from more than 200 million patients across the globe.
- Free of charge to unfunded investigators at contributing healthcare organizations.
- Nominal fee required for grant-funded projects.
- AHEAD serves as the liaison between TriNetX and investigators for the data request process.
If you have questions, please email joanne.salas@health.slu.edu.
The All of Us Research Program from the National Institutes of Health captures de-identified electronic health records of more than 507,000 patients from healthcare organizations in the United States.
- Focused on underrepresented minorities (e.g., POC, LGBTQIA).
- Includes surveys, physical measurements, and digital health data.
- All investigators with a "health.slu.edu" email address can independently access data snapshots.
New registrants receive an initial $300 credit to kickstart their projects. Once the credits are exhausted, users can resume analysis by adding their own Google Billing Account. If you require our data analysis services, please submit a service request.
If you have questions, please email regina.huang@health.slu.edu.
– Helen W. Lach, Ph.D.The Virtual Data Warehouse offers a great option to look at data from a large number of patients, already de-identified and ready for research use."
Associate dean for research,
Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing
Public Data Sources
The AHEAD Institute works with publicly available databases accessible via organizational websites including the Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Some examples include CDC Wonder, CDC National Center for Health Statistics and Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research.
Other Data Sources
The AHEAD Institute works with investigator-supplied data, Epic data pulls and retrospective chart reviews. Our team works alongside investigators to select the ideal data source for all projects.