health_records.md

Using public records to shine a light on the dark side of the healthcare crisis

Association of Health Care Journalists http://www.healthjournalism.org/resources-jump.php

Health Is Everything: Using Data to Report Great Stories on Your Community's Health by Frank Bass http://www.reportingonhealth.org/reporting-community-health

CMS Dialysis Data

ProPublica: http://projects.propublica.org/dialysis/

• ProPublica Dialysis High Costs and Hidden Perils of a Treatment Guaranteed to All 2010.12.15

HHS Office of the Inspector General audits and memos

OIG: http://oig.hhs.gov/reports-and-publications/index.asp

• The Houston Chronicle http://tlangford.tumblr.com/

Government Accoutability Office reports

GAO: http://www.gao.gov/search?advanced=1

• The Houston Chronicle http://tlangford.tumblr.com/

State-level hospital discharge data

• The Dallas Morning News Parkland in Dallas has been among Texas' worst hospitals for patient safety for years, analysis shows 2011.10.16
• Seattle Times Methadone and the Politics of Pain 2011.12.10

Center for Medicare and Medicade Services inspection reports

• The Dallas Morning News First, do no harm ongoing

State health regulator investigations

• The Morning Call Hospital misprogrammed pain pumps, gave overdoses 2012.01.27
• The Dallas Morning News First, do no harm ongoing
• California Watch Prime Healthcare's treatment of rare ailments stands out 2011.10.14

State/Local financial records

Reporters Committee of Freedom of the Press: http://www.rcfp.org/open-government-guide

• Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Painkiller boom fueled by UW profs 2011.04.02
• The Dallas Morning News: Med school/hospital spending broke rules 2012.04.29

IRS Form 990

Guidestar: http://www.guidestar.org/

Foundation Center: http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/990finder/

• KUOW: Hospital high rollers 2010.12.20

FDA Adverse Event Reporting System

FDA: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Surveillance/AdverseDrugEffects/ucm082193.htm

IRE data library: http://www.ire.org/nicar/database-library/databases/fda-adverse-events-reporting-system/

• The New York Times Hip Implant Complaints Surge, Even as the Dangers Are Studied

FDA MAUDE - Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience

IRE: http://www.ire.org/nicar/database-library/databases/medical-device-reports-maude/

FDA: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfMAUDE/search.CFM *

National Practitioner Data Bank

IRE: http://www.ire.org/nicar/database-library/national-practitioner-data-bank/

• The Kansas City Star Secrecy protects doctors with long histories of problems 2011.12.17

Medicare billing/discharge data

• The Wall Street Journal Excessive billing by NYC doctors 2010.10.25

Death certificates and autopsy findings

IRE: http://www.ire.org/nicar/database-library/databases/mortality-multiple-causes-of-death/

• Seattle Times Methadone and the Politics of Pain 2011.12.10

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Automation of Reports and Consolidated Orders System (ARCOS)

• Seattle Times Methadone and the Politics of Pain 2011.12.10
• Investigate West Deadly painkiller overdoses 2012.01.22

Court records

PACER: https://pacer.login.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl?court_id=00IDX

• Reuters Shell companies bleed millions from Medicare 2011.12.21

Drug company payments to doctors

ProPublica: http://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/

• ProPublica: [Dollars for Docs]http://www.propublica.org/series/dollars-for-docs) 2010.10.18
• ProPublica: The Champion of Painkillers 2011.12.23
• Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Painkiller boom fueled by UW profs 2011.04.02

FDA regulatory filings

• Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Doctors didn't disclose spine product cancer risk in journal 2011.10.22

Campaign Finance and Lobbying records

Center for Responsive Politics:http://www.opensecrets.org/usearch/

National Insitute on Money and State Politics: http://www.followthemoney.org/database/advancedsearch.phtml

US Senate Office of Public Records: http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/g_three_sections_with_teasers/lobbyingdisc.htm

US House Clerk: http://disclosures.house.gov/ld/ldsearch.aspx

Federal Election Commission: http://www.fec.gov/disclosure.shtml

-- For this page go to: http://bit.ly/ire12health

to suggest more resources email daniel.lathrop@gmail.com