Data Practices Requests

You have the right to access Hennepin Healthcare data under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. You can look at the data for free or get copies for a charge.

State law treats government data as public data unless another state or federal law specifies it is not public data. "Government data" is all data collected, created, received, maintained or disseminated by any government entity regardless of its physical form, storage media, or conditions of use.

How to request data

Request data by completing one of the appropriate forms below:

Member of the Public Data Request Form (PDF)
Data Subject Data Request Form (PDF)

Hennepin Healthcare cannot require you to identify yourself or ask you to explain why you are requesting public data. While you may submit an anonymous request, Hennepin Healthcare will not be able to contact you directly if there are questions regarding the request.

Contacts

Michael Garberich, Responsible Authority and Data Practices Compliance Official
Hennepin Healthcare, Information Privacy Director
612-873-3737

For current and former employees of Hennepin Healthcare (HCMC) personnel data requests
[email protected]

How Hennepin Healthcare responds to your request

When Hennepin Healthcare receives your request, it immediately begins to process that request. If Hennepin Healthcare does not have the data or the data is not public, Hennepin Healthcare employees will notify you as soon as possible and give you the reason why the data is not public. State law does not require Hennepin Healthcare to create or collect new data in response to a data request.

When Hennepin Healthcare has the data and it is public

If you want to look at the data, Hennepin Healthcare employees will arrange a date, time, and place for you to do so, at no cost.
If you want a copy of the data, Hennepin Healthcare employees will provide copies as soon as possible. You can pick up your copies or have them sent to you. You must give Hennepin Healthcare an address or fax number.
If you want an electronic copy of the data, Hennepin Healthcare employees will provide it if the data is in an electronic format, like email or CD-ROM.
If you do not understand some of the data, like technical terms, abbreviations, or acronyms, Hennepin Healthcare employees will explain it.
Hennepin Healthcare is not required to provide the data in a specific format or arrangement if it does not already keep the data in that format or arrangement. For example, if the data exists only on paper, Hennepin Healthcare is not required to create electronic documents.
Hennepin Healthcare is not required to answer questions that are submitted as a data request.

Requests for summary data

Summary data are records that are specially prepared to leave out private or confidential information about individuals. To request summary data, you must make your request using Hennepin Healthcare's online data request portal. If there are charges associated with preparing summary data, state law allows Hennepin Healthcare to pass those charges on to you. It is always best to ask about summary data charges in your request.

Copy charges

You can look at the data for free or get copies for a charge. State law allows Hennepin Healthcare to charge the public for copies of government data.

For 100 or fewer paper copies, the charge is 25 cents per copy.
For most other types or amounts of copies, the charge varies. It depends on whether a charge is set by rule or law, or the cost of searching for, retrieving, copying, or transmitting the data.

Hennepin Healthcare factors employee time, cost of materials and mailing costs in determining a charge. If Hennepin Healthcare hires an outside party to make copies of items it cannot reproduce, like photos, Hennepin Healthcare passes that charge on to you.

Copy charges vary by Hennepin Healthcare department and in some cases may be waived. If your request is expected to go above $50, Hennepin Healthcare may ask for half the payment prior to beginning to process your request. It is always best to ask about copy charges in your request.