(Updated 09/20/24): In February 2024, CMS announced planned changes to our research data access policy to help protect sensitive beneficiary information from increasing security risks. These changes included transitioning most research studies to the Chronic Conditions Warehouse Virtual Research Data Center (CCW VRDC) and increasing physical data fees to cover growing costs associated with physical data provisioning. CMS released a Request for Information (RFI) to gather feedback from researchers on these changes.
CMS appreciates the helpful feedback researchers provided in response to the RFI. We are working to develop solutions that are responsive to stakeholder concerns while making needed enhancements to data security. We are also implementing improvements to the researcher experience and VRDC capabilities throughout the data request and access process. CMS appreciates researchers’ requests for adequate planning time and additional input in advance of any changes.
To allow sufficient time for planning and gathering additional feedback from researchers, CMS expects that policy changes related to the required use of the CCW VRDC and the structure of physical data fees would not go into effect until at least 2026. CMS is continuing to explore options to strengthen data security in the interim. We will release more detailed information at a later date, including future opportunities for feedback.
If you have any additional feedback related to CMS’s research policies, please send your comments to VRDCRFI@cms.hhs.gov. If you have questions specific to your CMS Data Use Agreement, please contact the Research Data Assistance Center (ResDAC): https://resdac.org/about-resdac#contact.