Washington State Hospital Association MDC

Who oversees the MDC?

The Washington State Hospital Association Maternal Data Center (WSHA-MDC) is overseen by the Washington State Hospital Association Safe Deliveries Roadmap initiative with technical operations managed by CMQCC. The Safe Deliveries Roadmap is a multi-stakeholder collaborative that includes representation from the clinical community, hospitals, state agencies, the March of Dimes and other key stakeholders. To learn more about participation, visit the WSHA Safe Deliveries Roadmap web page.

Who participates in the WSHA-MDC?

Participants in the WSHA-MDC include hospitals from across Washington state, plus hospitals in Alaska and Montana.

How does the data submission process work?

Hospitals submit discharge and clinical data files to the WSHA-MDC on a monthly basis. Hospitals may also choose to submit supplemental data files to the WSHA-MDC for the calculation of additional measures. Data is uploaded directly to the MDC secure online tool.

Does the MDC meet legal and regulatory requirements?

Yes. A Participation and Business Associate Agreement defines the legal, security and confidentiality requirements to be implemented by WSHA-MDC, CMQCC and the hospital.

What security protocols are used?

All data submissions, linkage and reporting takes place via the WSHA-MDC’s secure web-based tool, housed in dedicated server environments maintained by Stanford University’s School of Medicine, Information, Resources and Technology (Med-IRT) Group. Using state-of-the-art encryption technology, patient-level data is fully secured and visible only to authorized staff from the hospital of submission. 

Is the MDC available for non-hospital users?

Currently, access to the MDC online tool is limited to hospitals who have enrolled and completed a participation and business associate agreement

Does WSHA use the data for any other purpose?

WSHA may aggregate blinded and de-identified hospital-submitted data into larger data sets for use in research into the associations between obstetric practices and maternal and newborn outcomes, as well as tracking progress in quality improvement initiatives. Any research-related use would strictly conform to the provisions of the WSHA-MDC, CMQCC and hospital legal agreements.

Are there hospital participation fees?

Yes. For the latest information on the fee structure, please contact datacenter@cmqcc.org.