Current Data Requests

The Maine Health Data Organization has, in accordance with Rule Chapter 120: Release of Data to the Public, instituted a process for the purpose of notifying users and providers of health care data when the MHDO receives a request for health data and accepts that request. In addition to sending electronic notification to interested parties and to providers that are responsible for the submission of the data, we provide the summary page of the ten most recent data requests below. If you are interested in seeing requests prior to the last on this page, you will find them here: https://mhdo.maine.gov/dataRequests_Archived.htm

For all data requests, the data providers or other interested parties may submit comments related to the data request to the Executive Director. To be considered, comments must be received by the Executive Director in writing or by electronic notification no later than thirty business days after the initial posting of the data request on the MHDO web site. If the Executive Director determines that (a.) the comments received are of significant enough importance to delay the release of data and/or (b.) additional information is required from the requesting party to address the comments; then the data shall not be released until the additional information has been received from the requesting party and an additional review is conducted by the Executive Director or the MHDO Data Release Subcommittee, as applicable, to ensure that the requesting party conforms to all applicable requirements of this chapter.

The Executive Director will bring all comments received from the data providers and or other interested parties for the release of Level III Data to the MHDO Data Release Subcommittee for consideration.

Individuals who want to opt out of a specific Level III data request may do so by completing this MHDO Choice Disclosure Form no later than 30 business days after the initial posting of the data request. If you opt out of Level III data requests, you will remain opted out unless you choose to opt back in via completion of the MHDO Choice Disclosure Form.

NOTE: If you would like to be notified when new data requests are posted, please email your request.

Request #	Requesting Party and Title	Affiliation	Date Posted	Comment Close Date	Specific Data Request	Purpose of Request Benefits to the Citizens of Maine Public Reporting Plans	Released Denied Withdrawn
2024041902	Beckner, Chiara	Central Maine Healthcare	09/16/2024	10/29/2024	MHDO Level II Q1 2020 - Q4 2024 Hospital Inpatient and Q1 2023 – Q4 2024 Hospital Outpatient Encounter Data including City/ZIP, DOB, Anonymous Payer Name/ID and Integrated Cancer-Incidence Registry Data.	The data will be used with other states' public health data to help healthcare providers increase the quality of care they provide to their patients by effectively benchmarking their quality, safety, satisfaction, cost and utilization to their peers. In addition, the data will be used to create a demographically based inpatient healthcare demand model for the Central Maine Medical Center and for the Lewiston/Auburn region of Maine. Benefit to the Citizens of Maine: The citizens of Maine will benefit through CMMC being able to more accurately target and align its investments in programmatic, human, and facility resources to the projected needs of the Central Maine communities it serves. The anonymized payer category information will be used to sufficiently understand the patient population and demographics that Central Maine Healthcare serves to best align service offerings and improve the health of the people and communities served. This will result in better planning for the residents of Maine by understanding care delivery factors and addressing gaps around healthcare equity. The MHDO's integrated Cancer-Incidence Registry Data will be used to align and inform the oncologic service offerings within the Central Maine Region including but not limited to cancer surgical offerings, screenings and treatment options.
2024082001	Senechal, Katherine	State of Maine Office of Affordable Health Care	9/11/24	10/24/24	MHDO Level II Q1 2017 – Q2 2025 Inpatient and Outpatient Hospital Encounter Data, Medical Claims, Medical Eligibility, Pharmacy Claims, Pharmacy Eligibility including City/ZIP, Race & Ethnicity, Practitioner Identifiers, Payer Name/ID, De-identified Person Directory, Hospital Healthcare Quality Data (CMS Measures) and Provider Directory.	In 2021, the Maine legislature created the Office of Affordable Health Care (OAHC) when it enacted P.L. 2021 Chapter 459, Section 3. Among other duties, the establishing legislation directs the office to analyze health care cost growth and spending trends, including correlation to quality and consumer experience, and to develop proposals to improve the affordability, quality, and efficiency of health care in Maine. This project builds upon the previously authorized MHDO data request 2024020502 and seeks to further analyze trends in payor and provider health care spending, health care consumption, and the costs of providing health care using MHDO data beginning in 2017 through the most current data available from MHDO. This request allows OAHC to directly access MHDO data via the NORC Data Enclave. The Office, mandated to identify drivers of health care costs and quality, requires Payer Name/ID information to understand differences in healthcare payments and coverage, allowing for analysis of policy impacts on specific payors and connecting observed trends to policy decisions, demographics, and other factors such as health insurance coverage for services. This project will advance the aims of the office by offering data driven insights into drivers of health care spending, obstacles to affordability, and care quality for Maine residents by creating summaries of aggregated data in proactive or responsive work products for the Maine legislature and other stakeholders. These products may include annual reports, legislative inquiries, and presentations for the public and or the Advisory Council on Affordable Health Care.
2024051303	Owens, Pamela	Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality	8/28/2024	10/10/2024	MHDO Level II CY 2023 - CY 2024 Inpatient and Outpatient Hospital Encounter Data including City/ZIP, DPB, FIPS Code and Race & Ethnicity.	The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) is a family of healthcare databases and related software tools and products developed through a Federal-State-Industry partnership and sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). HCUP databases bring together the data collection efforts of State data organizations, hospital associations, private data organizations, and the Federal government to create a national information resource of encounter-level healthcare data. These national databases enable research on a broad range of health policy issues, including cost and quality of health services, medical practice patterns, access to healthcare programs, and outcomes of treatments at the national, State, and local market levels. The purpose of this project is to continue to integrate MHDO de-identified hospital encounter data with HCUP datasets to enhance healthcare research and analysis. These data will continue to provide insights into hospital care trends, patient safety, and healthcare costs, supporting evidence-based policy decisions and improving healthcare outcomes for Maine residents and nationally.
2024080201	Matusovich, Becca	Children's Oral Health Network	8/12/2024	9/24/2024	MHDO Level II CY 2023 Dental Claims, Dental Eligibility, Medical Claims, Medical Eligibility including City/ZIP, DOB, FIPS Codes, Race & Ethnicity and Anonymous Payer Name/ID.	This data request seeks to add an additional year of MHDO data (CY 2023) to previously approved data request number 2023062101. A copy of the 2022 Maine COHN Data Brief can be found here https://www.mainecohn.org/what-we-do/data. The Children’s Oral Health Network (COHN), formerly the Partnership for Children’s Oral Health, is a broad network of oral health stakeholders who are collaborating toward a shared mission: eradicating dental disease among Maine children. A key piece of this work is to strengthen the capacity of Maine’s oral health service delivery systems to reach all children in Maine with effective preventive and restorative dental care. To create a shared understanding of the strengths and challenges of the current delivery system, we propose an analysis of all-payer claims data that will provide a snapshot of current patterns in utilization of preventive and restorative dental services and look at variations in utilization and cost across payer/insurer type, age group, location/geography, provider type, and setting of care. Additionally, summary data will be reported on children's dental health use to the Kids Count Project, as well as the statewide Shared Community Health Needs Assessment and Public Health District data profiles. This project will benefit the people of Maine because it will help to build shared understanding of ways in which the current delivery system is able to meet the needs of Maine children, and what gaps remain. This will allow for collaborative planning to align resources and coordinate efforts to fill the gaps and increase children’s access to recommended oral health care.
2024072403	Ahrens, Katherine, Associate Research Professor	University of Southern Maine	08/12/2024	09/24/2024	MHDO Level II CY 2009 - CY 2023 Hospital Inpatient Encounter data, including City/Zip, DOB, FIPS codes, Race & Ethnicity and Integrated Vital Statistics Birth and Death data.	This request is an update to previously approved MHDO data request #2024043003, seeking to include Integrated Vital Statistics Birth and Death data. We aim to examine various pregnancy outcomes in Maine. The specific research questions are: What are the trends in delivery and newborn hospitalizations in the state of Maine? Do these trends vary by level of rurality of patient's residence or other patient characteristics, and what are the co-morbidities, pregnancy outcomes, and healthcare utilization associated with delivery and newborn hospitalizations in Maine? We will estimate the trends and characteristics that make up delivery and newborn hospitalizations in the state of Maine. Benefit to Citizens of Maine: This information can lead to the development of interventions to improve maternal and infant health, thereby benefiting the people of Maine.
2024041901	Mellett, Jean	Northern Light Health	6/7/2024	7/23/24	MHDO Level II CY 2024 Inpatient and Outpatient Hospital Encounter Data, including Patient City/Zip, Practitioner Identifiable, Race & Ethnicity, and Integrated Cancer-Incidence Registry Data.	This data request seeks to add an additional year of MHDO data to previously approved data request number 2023012601. Northern Light Health (NLH) will continue to use the MHDO’s inpatient and outpatient hospital data to support its member organizations and their planning efforts to advance initiatives that are important to the hospital system, the people of Maine, and the State’s healthcare system. To improve the health of the people and communities served, NLH will continue to analyze patient origin and demographics, locations of healthcare services and providers, healthcare services utilization rates and volumes and healthcare services provided, including diagnoses and procedures. The benefits to the citizens of Maine include optimized resource allocations, better planning by understanding care delivery factors like distances traveled by patients, and refined program planning for specific age groups. Race and ethnicity data addresses gaps around health care equity. The MHDO’s integrated Cancer-Incidence Registry data informs developments in Oncology services that are especially important given reported decreases in cancer screening and diagnostic procedures due to the COVID pandemic. Provider identification data supports decision-making for future placement of services and/or collaborative efforts.
2024030803	Mellet, Jean, VP - Planning and Strategy	Northern Light Health	5/22/2024	7/8/2024	Custom Level II MHDO Custom Extract CY 2019 - CY 2024 (Excluding CY 2020), Medical Claims data, including Age and Anonymous Payer Name/ID.	Northern Light Health (NLH) will use a custom data extract from the Maine Health Data Organization to better understand infusion services within the State. This data extract will include information on the types of drugs being utilized, sites of care, costs, and service providers. This information will benefit the citizens of Maine by helping Northern Light Health guide planning efforts throughout Maine to bridge service gaps and improve care delivery to the communities NLH serves.
2024043003	Ahrens, Katherine - Associate Research Professor	University of Southern Maine	5/22/2024	7/8/2024	Level II CY 2023 Hospital Inpatient Encounter data, including City/Zip, DOB and FIPS codes and Race & Ethnicity from CY 2009-2023	This data request is an update to the previously approved MHDO data request #2023050301, to include an additional year of data and Race & Ethnicity data elements. The specific research questions are: What are the trends in substance use-related delivery and newborn hospitalizations in the state of Maine. Do these trends vary by level of rurality of patient's residence or other patient characteristics, and what are the co-morbidities associated with substance use-related delivery and newborn hospitalizations in Maine. The team at USM will estimate the trends and characteristics that make up substance use-related delivery and newborn hospitalizations in the state of Maine. Benefit to Citizens of Maine: This information can lead to the development of interventions to prevent these types of hospitalizations, thereby benefitting the people of Maine.
2024042901	Harrington, Karynlee, Director	Maine Quality Forum	4/29/2024	6/11/2024	Level II Q1 2016 - Q4 2023 Medical Claims, Medical Eligibility, Pharmacy Claims, Pharmacy Eligibility released at the City/Zip and Date of Birth level including Practitioner Identifiers, Payer Group ID, Payer Name/ID and Anonymous Payer Name/ID; and non-claims-based payments, including supplemental data sets defined in Public Law 2022, Chapter 603, and 90-590 CMR Chapter 247, Uniform Reporting System for Non-Claims Based Payments and Other Supplemental Health Care Data Sets.	Both Public Law 244, An Act to Establish Transparency in Primary Care Spending; and Public Law 2022, An Act Regarding Reporting on Behavioral Health Care Services… requires the Maine Quality Forum (MQF) to produce annual spending reports for primary care and behavioral health care services in Maine using data from the Maine Health Data Organization. This request updates the data time-period by adding the most recent CY data set, 2023. The report will include the percentage paid (claims and non-claims payments) as a percentage of the respective total medical expenditures for primary care and behavioral health care by commercial insurers, the MaineCare program, Medicare, and the State Employee Plan and the Maine Education Association Benefits Trust; as well as the average percentage of total medical expenditures paid for primary care and behavioral health care across all payors. The reports will be submitted in January 2025 to the Commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services and the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health coverage and health insurance matters. Copies of most recent reports can be found here:https://mhdo.maine.gov/mqf.html. Purpose of Request/Benefits to the Citizens of Maine/Public Reporting Plans: Legislative mandate
2024031801	Grass, Dana	Maine Health, Maine Bleeding Disorder Ctr	4/11/2024	5/24/2024	AdHoc	The Maine Bleeding Disorders Center (MBDC) is a hemophilia treatment center within the Maine Health system. We serve patients throughout the state of Maine and parts of New Hampshire with rare bleeding disorders. The center hopes to soon expand access to individuals with inherited clotting disorders as well. Previously, the MHDO had provided an Ad Hoc report in DR#2023080701 on the distribution of patients with inherited bleeding disorders and some patients that had experienced blood clots. This report allowed us to review our current patient population and identify areas for outreach in the state of Maine. The data in the newis report will help to support the addition of a dedicated benign hematologist in the development of a thrombosis program that will serve as the premier thrombosis treatment program in the state of Maine. This project will utilize data collected by the MHDO in an Ad Hoc report on our individuals from the years 2018 - 2023 based on specific primary diagnoses of hereditary clotting disorders to quantify the number of potential patients to be served by the Maine Bleeding Disorders Center in the future. The goal of this project will be to assist in justifying the need for an additional hematologist for the Maine Bleeding Disorders Center that would increase accessibility of care for a large number of patients and to identify potential existing clinics/hospitals for outreach. Our team plans to expand and service this community in the future and data regarding the location and quantity of these individuals will help us be better prepared to treat them.
2024020502	Garratt-Reed, Meg, Exec. Dir.	Maine Office of Affordable Health Care	2/23/2024	4/4/2024	Ad Hoc reports that analyze spending by Payer, Sex, Age, County, Provider, Facility, CPT/DRG Codes, and Service Category.	In 2021, the Maine legislature created the Office of Affordable Health Care when it enacted P.L. 2021 Chapter 459, Section 3. Among other duties, the establishing legislation directs the office to analyze health care cost growth and spending trends, including correlation to quality and consumer experience, and to develop proposals to improve the affordability, quality, and efficiency of health care in Maine. This project will advance the aims of the office by creating an ongoing means of tracking and displaying health care spending on multiple levels, and by providing insight into drivers of high and rising spending in Maine. This work will also serve as a further iteration of the Baseline Report previously produced by MHDO, layering more granular analyses onto the report which respond to the needs of policymakers to understand health spending. The interactive dashboards created with MHDO data will serve as a resource to policymakers and other external stakeholders, and will allow the office to clearly identify and articulate drivers of spending and propose targeted solutions.
2024011703	Ruby, Ray, Executive Director	Maine Cancer Foundation	2/6/2024	3/19/2024	CY 2015 – CY 2023 MHDO Level II medical claims & eligibility, pharmacy claims & eligibility, inpatient & outpatient hospital encounters, cancer-incidence registry, and vital death statistics data, including Practitioner Identifiers, MHDO Provider Database, FIPS codes and the de-identified person directory.	This request has been updated to include Practitioner Identifiable Data Elements and the MHDO Provider Database. The purpose of this request is to build upon the previously authorized data request project 2023022401, in which the Maine Cancer Foundation (MCF) used MHDO data to create Maine's first comprehensive Cancer Blueprint. The goal of the Maine Cancer Blueprint is to increase knowledge and awareness of issues related to cancer, expand access to care, and support lifestyle changes to reduce cancer risk by exploring inequities and variations in cancer rates, by examining factors that may influence cancer risk, and analyzing how factors such as social determinants of health, race, ethnicity, insurance status, and socio-economic status influence health outcomes. The current website can be found here https://mainecancer.org/maine-cancer-blueprint. The website provides credible, detailed data points that inform grantmaking and programming efforts by MCF to support targeted interventions and the solicitation of more diverse, sustainable funding mechanisms for the organization, and are publicly available to Maine clinical experts, residents and others who are interested in actionable statistics related to cancer in Maine. The MCF is moving on to Phase Two of this project with the focus on updating existing measures and adding more detailed measures on colon and rectum cancer. The Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) is supporting MCF with using the MHDO data for identifying and creating measures that will report variations in cancer incidence, mortality, cost, screening rates, and access to care across Maine. The dataset may be used for ad hoc reporting requests directed by an advisory group formed by the MCF and comprised of clinical and other public health experts.
2023122001	Green, Dantrell, Data Quality & Governance Mgr	Strata Decision Technology	1/23/2024	3/6/2024	Level I Hospital Inpatient Encounter Data	MHDO Level I inpatient hospital data will be used by Strata to assist their Maine Hospital clients with identifying opportunities for improving the quality of care and services they provide to their patients by effectively benchmarking their quality, safety, satisfaction, and utilization to their peers. The data is used to create aggregated benchmarks at both the APR-DRG and MS-DRG level. Hospitals can compare their performance to the benchmark file and determine where there is a variation in care. MHDO’s data is also used internally to benchmark hospital’s service line utilization and cost compared to statewide averages to help inform service line planning. The benchmark files can be used directly in conjunction with hospital client decision support systems, or through a web-based Clinical Analytics tool. Lastly, the benchmark data will be used to provide analytic services to client Hospitals and Health Care systems utilizing PA data sets for the purpose of market share analysis, product line performance, and patient migration patterns.
2023121303	Birkhimer, Nancy, Accreditation and Performance Improvement Mgr	DHHS-ME CDC	1/23/2024	3/6/2024	CY 2022 – CY 2024 Level II Hospital Inpatient and Hospital Outpatient Data including City/Zip, DOB, and Race & Ethnicity data	The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (ME CDC) mission is to provide leadership, expertise, information, and tools (such as public health dashboards and reports) to assure conditions in which all Maine people can be healthy. Surveillance of chronic disease, maternal and child health, injury, and suicide is essential to efforts to reduce morbidity and preventable mortality in Maine. The ME CDC Division of Disease Prevention epidemiology team proposes to use inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department hospital discharge data to: (1) Conduct routine surveillance and monitoring of core chronic disease, maternal and child health indicators, and injury indicators for the Maine Shared Community Health Needs Assessment (https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/phdata/MaineCHNA/maine-interactive-health-data.shtml), and publicly post the indicators in cardiovascular health and diabetes prevention, asthma surveillance, suicide and injury prevention, maternal and child health surveillance, and other core activities of the Division of Disease Prevention. (2) Conduct analyses of risk factors associated with preventable morbidity and mortality due to chronic disease, maternal and child health, injury, and suicide. (3) Examine the association between social determinants of health and preventable morbidity and mortality. Analyses will include identification of disparities by race, ethnicity, age, and residential geography. These results of these analyses will enable Maine's public health leaders to conduct effective program planning, obtain crucial federal funding, and make data-informed decisions to support of the health and well-being of the people of Maine. The results will also be used to inform legislative and federal reporting as needed and/or required.