Author: Abbie Formoso, Donna G Curtis Maillet, Ted McDonald
Year: 2025
Category:
Research Methods
This report explains how DataNB’s request to use Medicare numbers for research brought attention to an unexpected issue. When DataNB sought access to Medicare numbers in 2014 to link administrative data, it became clear that the same identifiers had been used in the provincial Moose Draw for hunting licences, even though this use was not authorized in legislation.
Because of increased attention to how personal health information should be shared and protected, DataNB’s access to Medicare numbers was paused. To address this, DataNB and provincial government staff worked together to create new legislative tools that would allow Medicare numbers to be used appropriately for data matching.
These changes were designed to support research on a wide range of topics, including studies on how to recruit and retain healthcare professionals in New Brunswick.
