Research Data Assistance Center (ResDAC)

Established in 1996, the Research Data Assistance Center (ResDAC) is a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) contractor that provides assistance to researchers interested in using CMS administrative data for research purposes.  ResDAC is the initial point of contact for any researcher in the academic, non-profit, for-profit, or government sector who is seeking information about accessing and using CMS research identifiable administrative data.  ResDAC serves as an "assistance desk" for researchers to create their initial request for establishing a Data Use Agreement (DUA) for research identifiable datafiles with CMS.  ResDAC also facilitates the amendment process and any DUA Maintenance work (extending the DUA, updating contact info, closing a DUA).  resdac.org is our robust website that walks researchers through the request process, explains what data files are available, shares knowledgebase articles about different aspects of the data, and announces important information.  In addition, ResDAC hosts four (4) workshops per year about how to use Medicare and Medicaid administrative data in research.