CMS offers a secure way of accessing its program data through virtual access to the Chronic Conditions Warehouse (CCW) Virtual Research Data Center (VRDC). The CCW VRDC is a virtual research environment that provides timelier access to Medicare and Medicaid program data in a more efficient and cost-effective manner. Researchers working in the CCW VRDC will have direct access to approved data files and be able to conduct their analysis within the CCW secure environment. They will also have the ability to download aggregated reports and results to their own personal workstation. For-profit organizations and innovators must use the CCW VRDC.
The CCW VRDC:
- Satisfies all CMS privacy and security requirements
- Enables researchers to access and perform their own analysis and manipulation of CMS data using the CCW infrastructure
- Enables researchers to upload external data files into their workspace to analyze with the approved CMS data files
- Provides access to the Research Identifiable Files
- Provides access through a virtual desktop
User Requirements:
- Must be a resident of the United States
- Must connect from an IP address registered for use in the United States
- Must have a broadband internet connection
- Must have Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome
- Must have a supported version of Windows 10 or newer Windows operating system
- Must have latest version of VMware Horizon Client