OCID Population

The OCID population is defined as Oregon-resident births from 2001 onwards, including infants along with their parents as identified on the birth certificate. This construction has important implications to the cohort composition:

• The OCID population grows over time, as more children are born into it (thereby adding their parents).
• The OCID population is by definition restricted to “Oregon-born” children and does not include the estimated 22% of Oregon residents under 18 years who were born outside of Oregon (or their parents).

To the extent that OCID-generated information does not align with results published by state agencies or programs, the strongest explanatory factor is oftentimes the fact that OCID does not represent complete program enrollment. 

OCID Assumptions

While expansive and rich, the OCID data does not include all key elements of a child’s life circumstances. The OCID team makes the following key assumptions in the course of their work:

• OCID children are associated with “parents” from the birth certificate, who may or may not play an active role throughout their lives.
• Absent any information to the contrary (e.g. school enrollment records indicating a transfer out of state), OCID children are presumed to be 1) alive, and 2) still residing in Oregon.
• OCID analysts use unique study identifiers generated by Integrated Client Services (ICS) to link data for individuals across agency and program datasets. The project team relies on the accuracy of these linkages.
• Agency and program information are assumed to be correct, regardless of the method of collection.

The OCID team works closely with agency and program staff to understand the data elements included in OCID, standard practices around the calculation of key metrics, and the broader policy context for presentation of these data. 

OCID Data Integration

The OCID data integration process begins with state agencies/programs submitting participant data to Integrated Client Services (ICS), a shared Oregon DHS/OHA resource. ICS matches individuals across datasets based on personal identifiers (e.g. name, date of birth, and zip code) and creates a unique study identifier for each person. The study identifier is added to each dataset, and personal identifiers are subsequently stripped before the program data are delivered to the Center for Health Systems Effectiveness.

Data Use Agreements

The Oregon Child Integrated Dataset (OCID) was established through standardized data use agreement (DUA) terms and language to ensure consistency and stability across agency agreements for multiple years. Currently, OCID receives data from the following agencies: Oregon Health Authority, Oregon Department of Education, Oregon Department of Human Services, Oregon Youth Authority, and Integrated Client Services.

The duration of each agreement is four years, with annual or semiannual data refreshes depending on the source. Current agreements last through 2023, and allow for continued analysis of the data for five additional years (ending in 2028).

OCID does not contain identifiable protected information, and the project’s research protocol falls under the regulatory oversight of the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Institutional Review Board. In order to protect the identities of individuals in the OCID population, and in adherence to data use agreements covering release of the data, results are suppressed if they do not meet minimum reporting thresholds. Criteria for public reporting include:

• Numerator > 10 (or equal to 0, if the denominator is also 0)
• Denominator > 50 (or equal to 0, in which case “NULL” is displayed)

Additional logic ensures that suppressed results are not able to be calculated by subtraction – even if this entails suppressing results that otherwise meet public reporting criteria. As a result, not all dashboard filter combinations yield reportable results.