Public Use File Agreement for Vermont Uniform Hospital Discharge Data Set - VUHDDS

Data Steward: Green Mountain Care Board, 144 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602

Data Manager: Vermont Department of Health, 108 Cherry Street, Burlington, VT 05401

The Vermont Uniform Hospital Discharge Data Set Public Use Files (VUHDDS-PUFs) prepared and maintained by the Vermont Department of Health are intended to support the study of health and health services in manners that serve the public interest and benefit Vermonters. As the steward of the VUHDDS database and the VUHDDS-PUFs, the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) maintains data release requirements for data use and disclosure that are designed to balance data protection and privacy with data access. The VUHDDS-PUFs should be used to aid in evidence-based decision-making to plan and improve health service delivery, evaluate health care interventions and systems, and inform health policy decisions. Any uses that are inconsistent with these objectives are prohibited.

Terms

If I am granted access to the VUHDDS-PUFs, I AGREE TO:

1. Use the data in the VUHDDS-PUFs for statistical analysis and reporting.
2. Implement and maintain data security and privacy policies, procedures and associated physical, technical and administrative safeguards to prevent the inappropriate use or disclosure of individual(s) represented in the data, including when sharing information from and derivative works based on the VUHDDS-PUF with others.
3. Prohibited uses – I AGREE THAT I WILL NOT:
   
   1. Attempt to identify an individual patient or provider in the VUHDDS-PUFs;
   2. Disclose the identity of any individual(s) discovered inadvertently;
   3. Allow anyone other than the Requestor identified in this Agreement to access the VUHDDS-PUFs or the data contained therein;
   4. Use the data in the VUHDDS-PUFs for any purpose other than the purpose I identified in my request;
   5. Use the VUHDDS-PUFs for any purposes that are inconsistent with the intended uses set forth in introductory paragraph of this Agreement;
   6. Make any effort to determine identifying information about any reported case in the VHDDS-PUFs;
   7. Link the VUHDDS-PUFs with any other data sets or databases;
   8. Use the VUHDDS-PUFs at any other location than that specified in the Organization Name and Address field in this agreement;
   9. Rent, lease, lend, sell, transmit, or otherwise distribute or dispose of the VUHDDS-PUFs temporarily or permanently without written consent of GMCB;
   10. Create or permit third parties to create derivative works based on the VUHDDS-PUFs; or
   11. Sell derivative works based on the VUHDDS-PUFs.