Participant User Files
The βParticipant Use Data File (PUF) is a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant data file containing cases submitted to the Commission on Cancer’s (CoC) National Cancer Data Base (NCDB). The PUF contains de-identified patient level data that do not identify hospitals, healthcare providers, or patients. The PUFs are designed to provide investigators at CoC-Accredited Cancer Programs with a data resource they can use to review and advance the quality of care delivered to cancer patients through analyses of cases reported to the NCDB. The PUF is only available through an application process to investigators employed at CoC-Accredited Cancer Programs.
After undergoing an extensive alpha testing period at 7 CoC-Accredited Cancer Programs, the NCDB is embarking on the second phase of the PUF initiative and extending the opportunity to apply for a PUF to investigators at CoC-Accredited Cancer Programs, who have directly approached the CoC or NCDB staff and requested to be on the Potential Beta PUF List. An application and review process between November 2011 and March 2012 will be followed by the release of PUFs to awardees in May 2012. Distributed PUFs will be organ-site specific, per the research interests of successful applicants, and include cases diagnosed between 1998 and 2010. PUFs are made available in SAS and SPSS file formats. Information regarding the data items is available in the βPUF, a list of abstracts and papers that have been developed by αPUF PIs, and other supporting information found in the on-line PUF Data Dictionary.
Questions regarding participation in the beta test phase of the PUF may be directed to Greer Gay, RN, PhD ggay@facs.org.
Revised November 23, 2011