Frequently asked
Questions
What
does Health Data Services Corporation do?
Betsey
Jackson helps health researchers find the best match among patient level databases
to retrospective research projects. Betsey is an independent
agent ('broker') who works with the top database vendors.
What
kind of databases are included?
The
range is wide: population databases, open Rx and medical databases, hospital detail
databases including inpatient medications or lab results, EMR data from physician offices, and
data from Europe.
Who are the clients?
Health
researchers in health economics, outcomes research, risk management, drug
safety, pharmacoepidemiology and market research in pharmaceutical firms and independent
research organizations.
Most are in the US, but global activity is growing.
What
does it cost?
There
is no
fee
for users of this service: the database vendors pay commissions on sales without raising
prices -- for the vendors, this is an alternative to the cost of using internal
personnel.
How
does it work?
Betsey
helps you to specify your data requirements and to identify the best
database options for your project.
She then works with the vendors that you selected and gets estimates of
population sizes and database fees. You receive a consolidated
report of all of the database choices -- usually within a
week. You make the final choice. You
may also select analytical services from a variety of vendors. Betsey
manages the contract processing for you and deals with any issues that arise.
What
are the benefits?
You:
-
Save
time and effort -- using an 'outsourced' data acquistion service
-
Consider
more options
-
Have
up-to-date information
-
Receive
the detailed information
that you need from an independent source
