Requests to link SPARCS hospital discharge data at an individual patient level to another patient-level data source are only considered with requests for identifiable data files. Limited data file requests cannot be linked at the patient level. Refer to this article if you are looking to link SPARCS data to vital records data.
If the applicant has access to a dataset at the patient level (e.g., survey, internal administrative dataset), we encourage you to use our SPARCS cohort matching service. This service supports the program’s policy of releasing the minimum use necessary to perform the research.
To take advantage of the matching service, your data must be able to support the creation of an Enhanced Unique Personal Identifier (EUPI) that matches this format:
1. The first two letters of the Last Name
2. The last two letters of the Last Name
3. First two letters of the First Name
4. Last four digits of the Social Security Number (If not available, use 0000)
5. Date of birth (YYYYMMDD)
6. Gender (M/F/U)
For example, if a male named John Doe, born January 2, 2000, has the last four letters of his SSN 1234, the EUPI will be DOOEJO123420000102M. If the first and last names are short, letters can be reused. This EUPI should always be 19 characters wide. It should contain only letters and numbers, no special characters, no blank spaces, and no punctuation marks (apostrophes, periods, etc.).
If you are unable to create an Enhanced Unique Personal Identifier (EUPI) and still would like to request a linkage, please contact the SPARCS program for consultation. The SPARCS Data Governance Committee (DGC) approves all linkages and determines which party should perform them according to the SPARCS program’s minimum use necessary policy.
The applicant must provide the SPARCS program with documentation of approval from the data steward before any linkage will be performed.