Get clinical, genetic, or radiology data by using one of our self-serve tools.
Make an AppointmentFor your next study, use DataDirect or EMERSE, which are available free of charge for faculty researchers and their study team members to access both discrete variables and free-text string data from the electronic medical record (EMR).
These self-serve tools offer access to a variety of clinical data, including:
(VPN network required)
(VPN network required)
Level-1 Access to Data Cohort Discovery DataDirectDataDirect - Inform your study design and determine eligible patients with this easy, self-service tool that enables browsing up-to-date, de-identified data on more than 4 million patients from MiChart.
DataDirect is a self-serve tool enabling access to clinical data such as diagnoses, encounters, procedures, medications (ordered and administered), and labs (ordered and results) on more than 4 million unique patients from across the UMHS enterprise. DataDirect provides aggregate counts for cohort discovery and the ability to download patient health data.
Log in to DataDirect here (VPN network required)
Cohort Discovery Mode prerequisites include:
Need assistance with pulling data in DataDirect? Do you need to know more about.
Answer all of these questions and more with our handy DataDirect User Guide!
Questions? Contact us at [email protected] . Training is also available!
Download Data DataDirect PHIDataDirect PHI - We have streamlined the process for requesting access to row-level PHI data from DataDirect (VPN network required), with faculty and permanent staff no longer required to apply for download access if all prerequisites listed below are in place. Keep in mind that students, house officers, and temporary staff are still required to apply for PHI mode access.
PHI/Download Data Mode prerequisites:
Questions? Contact us at [email protected]. Training is also available!
Yes, DUO authentication enables DataDirect access both from campus and off-campus; however, the individual will need to log on through a university VPN.
Determining which codes meet your inclusion criteria is a clinically informed decision to be made by your research team. Several different codes can be associated with a diagnosis/procedure. Consulting with a clinician who specializes in this area or reviewing the charts of patients known to have the diagnosis/procedure can assist in this determination.
In the upper right corner of the screen, there is a drop down option. Select “Share Your Query” within that menu. Sharing your query with team members can be used to reach a consensus on DataDirect inclusion selections. Your team members must also be authorized to use DataDirect.
Unfortunately, currently DataDirect does not capture reason for visit (follow-up or whether initiated by patient). However, the DOCTR team can do a custom pull (fee for service) for them.
DataDirect encounter data does not contain physician notes. If you are interested in physician notes, you can retrieve those through a custom pull (fee for service) from the Data Office.
As long as the HUM# allows for access to clinical data, then it does not have to specifically mention use of DataDirect. However, it is important to list in section 25 of the IRB application which variables you are interested in so it integrates with the DataDirect domains and it will control access on some level this way.
Currently, echocardiograph interpretations aren’t available through DataDirect. However, the DOCTR team can do a custom pull (fee for service).
Use of patient health data for research is a privilege that comes with great responsibility. Researchers are required to securely store patient health data in a HIPAA-configured location that has been set up to store sensitive data. Michigan Medicine prohibits the use of personally owned devices for storing patient data. Even if you believe most or all of the patient identifiers have been removed, the Data Office still requires that data be stored securely on HIPAA-aligned servers.
CLICK HERE for details regarding HIPAA safeguards when storing patient health data in U-M Dropbox.
Text SearchEMERSE (VPN network required) - Support your data discovery with this innovative self-service tool for searching words or phrases in text documents, such as dictated discharge summaries and pathology reports.
EMERSE (Electronic Medical Record Search Engine) enables users to search free text--also known as 'unstructured'--clinical notes from our electronic medical record. The clinical notes include text from MiChart (Epic), CareWeb (our prior EHR), radiology, pathology, and other reports dating back to 1998. EMERSE is easy to use and provides valuable features to help you find the information you need. The search function includes hundreds of thousands of synonyms to help you find alternative wording for clinical concepts, including generic and brand names of medications. EMERSE aids in cohort identification, eligibility determination, and data abstraction in a variety of research, clinical, and operational settings. With EMERSE you can paste in a list of medical record numbers (MRNs) you already have, or you can search across the entire dataset of notes to identify a cohort of interest and obtain their MRNs. A list of MRNs can also be obtained from the Data Office through a data request.
Prerequisites include:
For access to EMERSE for non-research purposes or if you have any questions, contact Dr. Dave Hanauer at (734) 615-0599 or via e-mail at [email protected] .
