OCHIN and OCHIN Data
About
Nonprofit OCHIN operates the most comprehensive database on primary healthcare and outcomes of under-resourced patients in the United States, including 1.3 million rural residents. The OCHIN Epic EHR data warehouse aggregates electronic health record (EHR) and social determinants of health (SDH) data representing >8 million patients from 286 health systems and 2,463 clinic sites across 40 states (5.5 million patients are ‘active,’ with a visit in the last 3 years). Approved AIM-AHEAD projects can obtain access to up to 12 years of longitudinal OCHIN Epic ambulatory EHR data.
Contributing health systems are outpatient community-based health centers (CHCs), which deliver comprehensive, high-quality primary care health care services for communities most impacted by health disparities, including rural communities and veterans. CHCs often provide on-site services such as dental, pharmacy, mental health, substance abuse treatment, and social work regardless of patients’ ability to pay.
Explore the OCHIN Database through Cohort Discovery, a web-based software tool for obtaining counts of patients matching user-specified inclusion/exclusion criteria. To gain access to Cohort Discovery, AIM-AHEAD program applicants must have completed and be up to date with standard training in Human Subjects Research and Responsible Conduct of Research. Access will be granted within 3 – 7 business days.
Overall Inclusion of Source Database
- Data years available for AIM-AHEAD: 2012-2023 (>72 million total encounters)
- Patients with one or more ambulatory, telehealth, or dental visit at a member clinic site on or after 1/1/2012
- Records from institutionalized patients and neonates (<28 days old) are excluded
| Key Characteristics of OCHIN EHR Data | ||
| Variables | Percent | Patient Count |
| Total all-time patients Total active patients (seen in last three years) |
8,634,916 5,591,910 |
|
| 100% and Below Federal Poverty Level (FPL) | 40.4% | 3,493,065 |
| 101% - to 200% FPL | 33.4% | 2,887,174 |
| Medicare | 7.5% | 648,777 |
| Medicaid | 48.3% | 4,171,776 |
| Uninsured | 25.7% | 2,217,214 |
| Rural | 15.5% | 1,342,843 |
| Spanish Speaking | 21.6% | 1,861,447 |
| Black | 16.6% | 1,431,134 |
| Hispanic / Latino/a/x | 33.2% | 2,867,563 |
| Asian | 5.1% | 444,384 |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 1.2% | 101,837 |
| Diabetes1 | 10.7% | 730,202 |
| Hypertension1 | 20.8% | 1,423,945 |
| Asthma1 | 8.6% | 585,846 |
| Hyperlipidemia1 | 19.2% | 1,309,627 |
| Mental/Behavioral Health Dx1,2 | 38.7% | 2,641,577 |
| Obesity3 | 12.1% | 824,152 |
| 1Chronic condition percentages presented among all-time adult patients (N=6,835,422) 2Includes anxiety, bipolar, depressive disorders, schizophrenia, and other psychotic disorders 3 Obesity diagnosis on problem list or last-recorded BMI >30 |
||
| Available Data at a Glance | ||
|---|---|---|
| Domain | Example variables | |
| Demographics | Sex, age, race, ethnicity, language, FPL, sexual orientation, gender identity, vital status/death date, state, and zip code of residence. | |
| Encounters | Encounter type, level of service, provider type, date. | |
| Diagnoses (from encounters, problem list, and patient-reported medical history) | ICD-9 and ICD-10 diagnosis codes, description, date. | |
| Procedures (from encounters and patient-reported surgical history) | CPT and HCPCS procedure codes, description, date. | |
| Vitals | BP, BMI, and tobacco use measurements, measurement date. | |
| Laboratory results | Lab type (standardized to LOINC), specimen source, date, result. | |
| Medications (prescribing and dispensing) | RxNorm, NDC, medication name, dose, quantity, route, frequency, refill count. | |
| Patient-reported outcomes | Screening questionnaire responses (e.g., PHQ2, PHQ9, AUDIT), screening date. | |
| Immunizations | Immunization type, dose, administration date. | |
| Social determinants of health | Patient-level social needs screenings recorded in EHR, e.g., food insecurity, housing quality, housing insecurity, transportation needs, education, employment. | |
| Area-level social and environmental data | Geographically linked neighborhood-level indicators at census tract and/or ZCTA level. OCHIN facilitates direct linkage to CDC’s Environmental Justice Index and AHRQ’s Social Determinants of Health Database. | |
OCHIN Patient Distribution by Facility's State
