CMS unveils data sharing tools

CMS has launched the Virtual Research Data Center (VRDC) to meet the rising demand for timelier Medicare and Medicaid data. Historically, CMS filled researchers’ data requests by preparing and shipping encrypted data files. Now, researchers can use the VRDC to access CMS data from their own workstations and will be able to perform analyses and manipulate data within the data center. The VRDC provides a less resource-intensive means of responding to data requests from researchers and offers data at a lower cost, according to CMS.