title: Overcoming barriers to a research-ready national commercial claims database.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Billions of dollars have been spent on the goal of making healthcare data available to clinicians and researchers in the hopes of improving healthcare and lowering costs. However, the problems of data governance, distribution, and accessibility remain challenges for the healthcare system to overcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, we discuss some of the issues around holding, reporting, and distributing data, including the newest "big data" challenge: making the data accessible to researchers and policy makers.
  
  
  METHODS
  This article presents a case study in "big healthcare data" involving the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI). HCCI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, independent research institute that serves as a voluntary repository of national commercial healthcare claims data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Governance of large healthcare databases is complicated by the data-holding model and further complicated by issues related to distribution to research teams. For multi-payer healthcare claims databases, the 2 most common models of data holding (mandatory and voluntary) have different data security requirements. Furthermore, data transport and accessibility may require technological investment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HCCI's efforts offer insights from which other data managers and healthcare leaders may benefit when contemplating a data collaborative.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Newman
authors: Health Care Cost Institute, Inc, 1310 G St NW, Suite 720, Washington, DC 20005.
authors: Carolina-Nicole
authors: CN
authors: Herrera
authors: Stephen T
authors: ST
authors: Parente
mesh_terms: D016494:Computer Security; D003219:Confidentiality; D016208:Databases, Factual; D066275:Health Information Exchange; D006801:Humans; D057766:Policy; D012107:Research Design