Methods

There are three categories of Mini-Sentinel methods development:

• Statistical Methods Development

  Projects focus on determining how well existing statistical methods work for Mini-Sentinel activities and whether new statistical methods yield more accurate results.

• Identification of Health Outcomes

  Projects focus on determining which codes (such as ICD9 codes, procedure codes, etc.) in electronic medical record data and administrative claims-based data are the most valid and reliable indicators of the presence of particular medical conditions.

• Validation of Health Outcomes

  Projects focus on checking codes derived from electronic medical records and administrative claims-based data against medical chart information to verify that the electronic codes validly and reliably identify individuals with particular medical conditions.