Integrated Client Services

Integrated Client Services (ICS)

Integrated Client Services (ICS) is a data integration and database administration unit in the Office of Forecasting, Research and Analysis (OFRA) and a shared service between the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). ICS was created in 2005 and processes ODHS and OHA programs’ service level data for use by OFRA forecasters who support budgeting, policy development and operational planning.

Since most state agency and program data systems do not interact or share data, ICS was tasked by ODHS and OHA to maintain a linkage of individuals across ODHS and OHA programs. ICS also links individuals across some other state agencies and programs. This linkage (client index) provides a more holistic and overlapping view of the individuals served across ODHS and OHA programs. The client index can also be leveraged to create deidentified data sets for research, evaluation and program improvement purposes.

Forecaster support

ICS primarily supports OFRA budgetary caseload forecasting for ODHS and OHA services, and these forecasts are reported regularly to executive leadership for program budgeting. ICS receives data monthly from ODHS and OHA programs (i.e., SNAP, Medicaid, Child Welfare, etc.) exclusively for the OFRA unit forecasters who use service history, policy changes, and econometric modeling to create projections about future program service utilization. Program business rules are applied by ICS, in collaboration with the programs and forecasters, to services data in the ICS data warehouse to facilitate programmatic forecasts. This means that ICS data can/will vary from data in the program data systems due to different business rules and cases.

Integrated data support

ICS also directly supports ODHS and OHA programs with integrated data needs (data requests, reporting, evaluation and research, etc.), and indirectly supports external requests that come from other agencies, universities, and research groups working directly with, or on behalf of, ODHS and OHA programs. Prior to creating a unique integrated data set, ICS has an established data review and governance process that involves all data sources involved in the data request. More information on the review process can be found in the governance section of this web page.

ICS regularly creates deidentified integrated data sets for research and evaluation, program improvement, reporting, etc., depending on request approval and resource availability. Please note that ICS is not a data source for program specific attribute data (i.e., services and benefits received, test scores, lab results or medical procedures, income, etc.) which must be requested directly from the data sources.

ICS typically creates ‘crosswalks’ using its unique client index (client IDs) which subsequently can be linked directly to program specific data. It is incumbent on data requestors to work directly with those programs from which data are requested to obtain program approval and program level attribute data, as well as with ICS to discuss technical methods and caveats around use of the ICS linkage.

The process/steps for requesting an ICS linkage generally follows this process:

Requestor has specific research question(s) that requires analysis and linkage of state program or agency data.
Requestor contacts program/agency Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to identify data elements available and contacts ICS about technical requirements of a linkage (i.e., determining the specific cohort of clients, or need for additional probabilistic linkage to data that ICS does not routinely integrate such as survey data or other agency/program data).
Requestor submits official requests for program data and for an ICS linkage between program data (ICS DUA, agreements, contract, etc.).
ICS and data sources review request for feasibility and adherence to agency and program policies, and state and federal law.

Note: Program SMEs and ICS need to work directly with a requestor to review and work out technical details of a request and adherence to agency and program policies, and state and federal law prior to contract/agreement execution, thus reducing the need for amendments and change requests.

ICS requests copies of all approved agreements and/or contracts between requestor and programs/agencies, and Institutional Review Board (IRB) if applicable.
Based on the specifications detailed in the request documents and data use agreements, ICS and programs will identify the clients/persons (i.e., cohort) that will comprise the requested integrated data set and communicate linkage methods/steps.
ICS provides the requestor with a client index crosswalk containing unique study IDs; programs link requested data to the crosswalk study IDs in a manner that maintains client confidentiality.

ICS brings data in monthly from most ODHS and OHA programs and several other state agencies (see ICS Key Partners). We extract, transform and load (ETL) data elements needed to identify and link an individual across systems (i.e., name, demographics, etc.) and limited service-level data from ODHS and OHA programs. This data is processed into caseloads where changes over time are forecast and used in calculations to create program budgets.

During the monthly client match, ICS uses a rigorous combination of probabilistic, deterministic and manual matching to create and maintain the best possible individual-level link across agencies and programs. Each individual in ICS receives a unique Master Identification number that allows identification of an individual across data sources. ICS maintains a master crosswalk of all key partners and provides the state with a better view of individuals utilizing services across state agencies.

ICS provides ad hoc record linkage (aka matching, fuzzy matching or probabilistic matching) between person records when unique identifiers are not available. Names and dates of birth are not unique but can be used to link records of the same person between data systems or data files. Record linkage of administrative data is rarely 100% accurate but some data practices can increase both the accuracy and completeness of record linkage. Where possible ICS will report record linkage metrics (e.g., precision, recall, F-score) that can assist researches in assessing whether a record linkage project is of sufficient accuracy to support research needs. Researchers should recognize that high rates of false matches or missed matches (incomplete linkage) can result in incorrect or biased conclusions. Researches should also be aware of their responsibility to correctly interpret potential effects of inadequate or incorrect record linkage.

Minimal fields for record linkage

Full first name
Full middle name (or initial if name is not available)
Full last name (hyphenated, compound or multiple last names should remain in same column)

First, middle and last names must be in separate columns
Non-alphanumeric characters (e.g., accent marks, symbols) should be removed/cleansed from data when possible

Date of birth

Dates can be in any standard format, including separate months, days and years in separate columns, but must be consistent for the entire field

Gender/sex

Unique persons should be de-duplicated in program records. If programs are unable to deduplicate records, notify ICS.

Additional fields may increase the match rate including SSN, county of residence, zip code, race and ethnicity. Consult with ICS to determine whether program-specific fields may increase match rates. Record linkage projects will ideally include additional fields in order to improve linkage accuracy - particularly when a large number of records require linkage.

Issues to consider when determining whether to match to data sources or an external data source to ICS:

The proportion of records with missing identifiers
How data sources have been validated
Variables available for linkage
Previous match metrics or evaluation of match outcomes
How data owners and ICS will handle false matches or low rates of overall matches
How issues with linked data will be communicated to end users

Overview

ICS and agency/program data partners have independent policies (state and federal) and requirements around access and use of data that ICS and users of these data must adhere to. Due to the nature of incongruent policies across data systems (i.e., which data about clients can be used for research, and which cannot), we must carefully review requests for integrated data in collaboration with the data sources to ensure compliance with each agency and programs’ policies and regulations, and to ensure client confidentiality and lawful data use. ICS governance was established, and is actively supported, by ICS data partners and the Department of Justice (DOJ). Additionally, each program and agency have separate agreements/contracts with ICS which specifies how data can and cannot be used.

Request review

ICS works with requestors and data sources to clarify technical linkage details and identify/mitigate potential risks to Oregonians prior to data use agreement or contract execution. ICS may also convene its Data Use Committee to objectively review more complex requests in collaboration with the data sources involved. We strongly encourage requestors to complete the ICS Data Use Agreement request form in detail about their proposed project, research questions, proposed use, and ultimate need for an integrated data set.

During a Data Use Committee meeting, the ICS DUA request form will be reviewed in collaboration with the data source request forms. The Project Proposal Review Tool is used by the Data Use Committee to objectivity review requests for integrated data.

At a minimum, requests for ICS linkages are evaluated for whether:

Proposed project purpose and data use is allowable in accordance with ODHS, OHA and data source policies and state and federal laws;
IRB documentation is required, and if submitted, sufficient;
Proposed privacy and security protections are sufficient;
Minimum amount of data necessary to complete project is requested;
Resources are available to accomplish request;
Further clarification is needed.

Our Data Project and Research Use Case Inventory includes research data requests, multiyear data projects, multiyear research data requests and ad hoc requests.

Note: the inventory is updated annually and is not an exhaustive list of all requests ICS has processed.

Terms and conditions for accessing and using an ICS linkage are outlined in our Data Use Agreement and must be signed by requestors prior to receipt and use of the integrated data set. These terms and conditions are informed by data security and use policies from ODHS, OHA and external agency/program data partners. Find ODHS and OHA information security, privacy and data use policies on the ODHS policies web page.

Integrated Client Services