CONTACT
Rozalina G. McCoy, MD, MS
Associate Professor
Executive Sponsor, Optum Labs
Director, Precision Medicine & Population Health Program,
University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing (UM-IHC)
Dr. McCoy's Faculty Profile
Questions:
Rozalina.McCoy@som.umaryland.edu
Why work with the RWE Analytics Core?
- Access to Real-World Data (RWD) which captures actual clinical practice rather than controlled trial environments, making it ideal for real-world evidence (RWE) studies.
- HIPAA-compliant: Data are de-identified and HIPAA-compliant in accordance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule.
- Content expert PIs and programmers
Optum Labs Data Warehouse
What is Optum Labs?
Optum Labs is a collaborative research and innovation center with its core linked data assets in the Optum Labs Data Warehouse (OLDW). University of Maryland Baltimore joined the Optum Labs collaborative as a partner in 2024. The University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing (UM-IHC) leads this important relationship.
Optum Labs Data Warehouse (OLDW), is a comprehensive, nationwide real-world database that contains de-identified, longitudinal health information on enrollees and patients, representing a mixture of ages and geographical regions across the United States. The claims data in OLDW includes medical and pharmacy claims, laboratory results and enrollment records for over 200M commercial and Medicare Advantage enrollees. The electronic health record (EHR)-derived data in OLDW includes a subset of EHR data sourced from different health systems and practices across the United States that has been normalized and standardized into a single database. Additional data linkages may be feasible, as long as there is no risk of data re-identification.
All data are kept in a secure environment and in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations; no personally identifiable information is shared.
Why Optum Labs?
In addition to gaining access to one of the largest linked patient databases available in the U.S., researchers are able to leverage a network of world-class thought leaders from across Optum Labs partners. OLDW data has been used for a wide range of impactful research studies.
UMB investigators have conducted impactful research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) using data from the Optum Labs Data Warehouse. You can use the link below to review some of the research using Optum Labs data published by UMB investigators.
Premier Healthcare Database
What is the Premier Healthcare Database (PHD)?
PHD is a large, comprehensive U.S.-based healthcare data repository maintained by Premier Inc. It is widely used for real-world evidence research and healthcare analytics. The University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing (UM-IHC) has licensed Premier data for use in approved UMB research studies.
Why PHD?
- Covers >1,400 hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers
- Data types include:
- Administrative data (e.g., billing, coding)
- Clinical data (e.g., diagnoses, procedures, medications)
- Healthcare utilization (e.g., length of stay, readmissions)
- Financial data (e.g., cost and charge information)
- Clean, well-defined data dictionary
- PHD hospitals cover highly geographically diverse areas across the U.S. and capture approximately one of every four U.S. hospital discharges
- Premier internally validates all data before release into the research database
UMB investigators have conducted research studies published in journals such as Annals of Internal Medicine and JAMA using PHD data. You can use the link below to review some of the research using PHD data published by UMB investigators.
How to Conduct a Research Project
Dedicated to the use of real world data, the RWE Analytics Core iLab Portal has key information about Optum Labs and PHD and the process by which the UMB community can engage with them for research, grant opportunities, and innovation. The site contains valuable information, including FAQs, a fee schedule, and detailed presentations on the data warehouse assets.
If you are interested in learning more about Optum Labs or PHD or are ready to begin a project, please complete Project Consultation form on our iLab Portal.
Questions?
Contact:
For OLDW: Rozalina G. McCoy, MD, MS
For PHD: Anthony Harris, MD, MPH
Lisa Pineles, MA (RWE Analytics Core Project Manager)