Clinical Data Services
Whether you are ready to request specific clinical data or just want to find out what’s feasible for your study, we can help.
Accessing Clinical Data for Research Purposes
The Research IT Data Services team helps researchers access electronic health record (EHR) data from the UW Medicine Data Warehouse — with available records extending back to the 1990s. While comprehensive inpatient and outpatient data has only been unified since 2021, our experienced analysts can help you navigate historical datasets and complexities.
Some types of data, such as medical imaging or raw device output, require additional planning. We recommend connecting with a Research IT analyst early in your study lifecycle to ensure timely access.
If you’re IRB-approved and ready to begin, our team can launch a consulting engagement. As an authorized “Honest Broker,” Research IT can release protected health information (PHI) to qualified researchers and assist with defining, retrieving, and securely storing your dataset.
Expanding Beyond the EHR With Linked and Enriched Datasets
EHR data is often just one piece of a larger research puzzle. Research IT supports linking EHR data to other relevant sources — such as Social Determinants of Health (SDoH), geospatial indicators, and national datasets.
We support integration with:
Environmental Justice Index (EJI)
Area Deprivation Index (ADI)
OCHIN’s ADVANCE PCORnet Network
NIH All of Us CLAD Grant
Using our geocoding pipelines and OMOP formatting capabilities, we help researchers enrich and standardize their datasets for broader analyses and data science applications.
Explore EHR Data with Self-Service Tools
In early study planning, defining your cohort is critical. Our self-service tools allow researchers to perform cohort discovery independently — even before IRB approval.
With Leaf, our intuitive cohort discovery platform, UW Medicine users can explore live EHR data using a modern interface. This tool helps validate study feasibility and refine inclusion criteria early in the process.
We also offer access to a PCORnet-formatted EHR snapshot via OCHIN’s i2b2 instance, enabling cross-institutional queries aligned with national research standards.
Participant Recruitment Powered by EHR Data
Many studies rely on identifying participants through EHR data. Research IT supports several modes of EHR-enabled recruitment depending on the time frame and workflow needs:
One-Time Queries – A snapshot cohort for initial outreach.
Automated Queries – Ongoing searches with results delivered directly to REDCap.
Epic Reporting Workbench – Embedded reports accessible within Epic.
Epic Real-Time Notifications – Alerts triggered by clinical events, delivered via InBasket (e.g., new medication orders or scheduled appointments).
Our tools and expertise help align recruitment strategies with IRB approvals and research timelines.
Research IT is your honest broker to access UW Clinical Data for your research.
Services We Offer
We offer a broad range of services for researchers needing study-specific or other special access to the UW medicine enterprise systems and data.
Pre-Research Support Services
General Orientation Meetings
Perhaps you’re not entirely sure exactly what you need for your study, or you’d just like to talk one-on-one about what we have to offer. In these cases, we can schedule a free meeting with you to discuss how we can be of assistance. IRB approval is not required for this service.
Feasibility Assessments
This is a good option if you have at least a rough idea of your study design, and need an idea of what practical things can be done to meet a research goal. This can help you define your study population and criteria depending on what data is and is not available. IRB approval is not required for this service. However, depending on the complexity of the feasibility assessment, our standard billing rates may apply.
Quotes/Estimates
With enough information about your study, we can provide you with a quote of the development hours needed to complete your request, as well as an estimated timeline of when we would be able to start. This option is best for clients who need this estimate for grant applications, etc. IRB approval is not required.
Consultation Services
Custom data extraction of UW clinical data
This is the most common service we offer. Based on your study inclusion and exclusion criteria, we will pull a custom dataset and deliver it in the format of your choice. Data extracted from UW’s data warehouse is NOT real-time but is current to within the past 24 hours-1 week. (For real time data needs, see “Custom Epic Reporting Workbench Builds” section.) However, these custom extracts are generally more flexible than an Epic report allows.
Most data extracts can be delivered into OneDrive, a REDCap project, or via any other HIPAA-compliant delivery method. File delivery can be done once or ad hoc, while REDCap data delivery can be done once, ad hoc, or scheduled on a recurring basis. For additional details on REDCap capability, see “Custom data import and export from REDCap” section.
Custom Epic Reporting Workbench builds
This option is for clients with active Epic Hyperspace accounts and existing access to the Epic Reporting Workbench. Custom reports are real-time, and SlicerDicer reports are current to within 1 month. While less flexible than a custom data extraction, these reports can be run by the user as little or often as needed, and can be placed right into your Epic dashboard for easy access.
Custom data import and export from REDCap
This option is best for clients who:
- Want a REDCap project built specifically for the study data they are requesting
- Already have an existing REDCap project to house their data
- Want to be able to easily specify pre-identified patients for whom additional clinical data is needed
By utilizing the REDCap API, we will import and export data between REDCap and the data warehouse as needed, including scheduling automatic data flow (often daily, weekly, or monthly). This option is generally considered part of a custom data extraction. For a full list of REDCap capabilities and user training options, please see the REDCap overview section.
Advanced data processing such as Natural Language Processing (NLP) and geocoding
This is an uncommon request, best for clients with existing dedicated servers for data storage. Sometimes the data already stored in discrete formats isn’t what your study needs, and you may need data extracted from clinical notes or other free-text portions of an EHR. For advanced data processing requests, please contact us as early as possible in your study design to allow us adequate time to assess the feasibility of your request.
The earlier you engage with us in your study design process, the more help we can provide.
Rates
The UW has Internal and External billing rates based on the Institution supported and their organizations status and funding source of the project.
Internal UW Rate
With UW Worktags
$150
External Rate
No UW Budget Number
$200
Industry Rate
Internal With Industry
$270
We invoice in the first week of the month for work done in the previous month. This amount will be automatically deducted from the supplied worktag. The billing contact you supply before beginning a consultation will get an invoice (from UW Central Billing) at that time, but generally doesn't have to do a thing.