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Access EMR Data through CPCRC

As a CPCRC member, you gain coordinated access to Canada’s largest validated primary care EMR dataset, managed by the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network (CPCSSN). CPCRC works directly with CPCSSN and local nodes to streamline the data access process for researchers.

Access Data

CPCSSN securely collects de-identified electronic medical record (EMR) data from participating primary care clinicians across Canada.

This data supports research, policy, and clinical decision-making by providing insight into primary care delivery, population health, and disease trends.

Researchers can request fully anonymized datasets, with opportunities to link CPCSSN data to other health system data, such as hospital records. Data linkage often requires approvals across different jurisdictions. The CPCRC team can help you navigate these options.

Data linkage allows multiple data sources to be combined, creating a more complete view of patient care across settings. This supports research on complex conditions that cannot be understood through a single dataset alone.

For example, linked data can combine clinical indicators (e.g. blood pressure) with healthcare utilization (e.g. hospitalizations) to better understand issues such as frailty in older adults.

How Data Access Works

CPCRC facilitates and supports researchers through each stage of CPCSSN’s formal access process:

Researchers can submit a request to access our national primary care data set. All requests are subject to committee review and data is accessed within our secure research environment.

Submit a Data Access Request

Access to the Canadian CPCSSN data repository is available to researchers located at any of the following eligible institutions:

  • Canadian post-secondary institutions and their affiliated institutions including hospitals and research institutes; or
  • Canadian non-governmental, not-for-profit organizations (including community or charitable organizations) with an explicit health research or knowledge translation mandate; or
  • Canadian non-governmental, not-for-profit organizations (including community or charitable organizations) with an explicit health research or knowledge translation mandate; or
  • Other organizations, as determined by CPCSSN, on the condition that the research or research-related activity falls within the principles espoused by publicly funded organizations such as CIHR

A cost recovery fee will be charged. Charges are based on a cost recovery for the following activities:

  • Application support including answering questions regarding the approval process, application process, study population definition and suitability
  • Application review and coordination
  • Preparation of the approved data files
  • The complexity of preparing a customized data cut
  • Provision of the appropriate documentation (e.g. information sharing agreement, ethics certificate, etc.) to support the use of the data
  • Support for use of the data, including answering questions about data fields and coding specifics
  • A contribution to the ongoing operation and development of CPCSSN

Project service charges often fall between $5,000 to $20,000 per project. CPCSSN reserves the right to change its cost recovery structure at any time. Table 1 below outlines the standard cost recovery model with services broken down into data, administrative and SRE (secure research environment) services.

Secure Research Environment charges start at $2,500 per annum for up to three users and vary slightly depending on the resources required by the project. The minimum billing increment is three months. Typically, the first year is charged at the outset of the project, with additional Secure Research Environment fees (Table 2) being charged as needed.

More Info
Secure Research Environment (SRE) Access FeeFee Amount
SRE initial access$2,500 (3 users/1 year)
Additional user$500 per person
Switch users$500 per switch
Backup files recovery$500 per request
Project Data Fee
Academic$5,000
Non-Academic$20,000
Data set revisions$500 minimum; $150 per hour of work required to complete
Administrative Fee
Application review processing$2,000
Analytical Services
Additional customized data processing$150 per hour depending on the expertise of the analyst
Data Analysis$150 per hour depending on the expertise of the data analyst

Note: Fees are also based on whether the researchers are actively involved in CPCSSN in the following ways: CPCSSN Network Director, Substantial participation in CPCSSN (e.g. submitting electronic medical record data, chief data science lead of Pan-Canadian CPCSSN), student.  Industry-funded project fees are negotiated separately under a “fair market value” model in consultation with the CPCSSN Steering Committee.

Changing the DAR once submitted requires additional work by CPCSSN. Requesting modifications to a DAR after its submission to the CPCSSN, but before its approval, may incur a fee up to $2,500.00 depending on the complexity of the project and the requested modification(s).

Researchers may make a request to change key aspects about their projects, such as: Data updates or more years of data, data files and/or fields requested, research questions posed, change in study population. These require a formal application to CPCSSN in the form of an amendment. New service charges apply for amendment applications, and confirmation of funds will be requested by CPCSSN.

Concrete cost quotations are only available after a Data Access Request (DAR) has been approved. The reason for this delay is because projects may change significantly from time of grant application to time of approval. CPCSSN will prepare a Price Quote. The Researcher must sign the Price Quote in acceptance of the cost. The Researcher must also sign a CPCSSN – Researcher Services Agreement which formalizes the requested services. There may be multiple Price Quotes for a single project, depending on the anticipated number of amendments, data deliveries or extensions desired.

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Contribute to a Stronger Future for Primary Care Research

At CPCRC, we are shaping the future of health care by bringing together the people, data, and ideas that matter most in primary care.

We connect researchers, clinicians, and communities across Canada through a collaborative infrastructure rooted in real-world practice. But to grow our impact, we need others to join us.

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