How to Access the CIRCE Project

Overview

The CIRCE Project is available to access to Penn-based researchers who are interested in utilizing electronic health record data. To obtain access to the CIRCE data, you will need the appropriate oversight & regulatory approvals (e.g., IRB, Office of Research Services, etc.). Additionally, some environments which store CIRCE may require using devices managed by Penn Medicine Academic Computing Services (PMACS), such as the PMACS Shared Drive.

Below is an overview on how to request and obtain access to CIRCE. When you're ready, you can complete a request for access form via REDCap.

 

Obtaining Access to the CIRCE Project

1: Explore the CIRCE data, and determine if our data is right for you.

The CIRCE dataset contains a multitude of data from the Penn Medicine electronic health record, but may not have all the data you require. Explore the Data Dictionary, Quick Start Guide, and other documentation on our Resources page to discover what CIRCE has in store. If you're still unsure if your project is the right fit, please reach out to the CIRCE team.

The CIRCE dataset is stored on three environments, detailed below. Please determine if you can access these environments before applying.

  1. PMACS Network Drive, which will require a PMACS-managed device (physical or virtual)
  2. CCEB Limited Performance Computing (LPC) Cluster, which similiarly will require a PMACS-managed device
  3. Penn Medicine DataBricks, which will require a Penn Medicine Databricks account.

The CIRCE dataset has three versions based on identifiability. Access to CIRCE is provisioned to the minimally required level of identifiability. 

  1. De-identified: direct identifiers (e.g., CSNs, MRNs) are disguised, date-times are zero-indexed at admission, and note text data is not present.
  2. Limited: direct identifiers are disguised, date-times are preserved, and note text data is not present.
  3. Identifiable: direct identifiers are preserved, date-times are preserved, and note text data is present.

If the project for which you are requesting CIRCE data is supported by an R01 or equivalent funding mechanism, there will be an associated cost related to CIRCE access. This cost is to help support the CIRCE Project and maintain access to students, trainees, and early-career investigators.

 

2: Procure the required documents and approval.

Before requesting access, you will need to submit and receive approval from the appropriate oversight committees. All requests for CIRCE access require a Penn IRB-approved protocol and approval letter. Your protocol should detail what electronic health record data you intend to use and explicitly reference the CIRCE Project. Your protocol should also specify study personnel to match those requesting access.

If your request will include any limited or identifiable data, you will also require a Penn IRB-approved Waiver of HIPAA Authorization.

If anyone on your team accessing CIRCE does not have an affiliation with the Perelman School of Medicine / PSOM (e.g., Nursing, Wharton, SEAS), you will also need an approved Data Use Agreement (DUA) through Penn RIS. 

 

3: Complete the CIRCE Request for Access form.

Once you have your IRB approval, protocol, and other necessary documentation, you can complete a request for access form via REDCap. Completing the form will alert the CIRCE team to review your application. Decisions for access requests are made on a project-by-project basis by the CIRCE team. The CIRCE team will follow up on requests via the email address provided in the REDCap submission.

If approved, the CIRCE team will coordinate with you to grant access to the CIRCE data to approved personnel.