Because CalHHS programs use various IDs to identify different healthcare facilities in different datasets—serving specific programmatic and data management needs–it can be difficult to match facilities from disparate datasets. To provide a better way to access and link facility data across CalHHS programs, the CalHHS Open Data Team partnered with Civic Knowledge, an open data research firm that helps governments and non-profits make better use of their data, to develop the Licensed Facility Crosswalk.
The crosswalk allows users to identify and match facilities based on the information contained in an open data table. The tool was immediately leveraged by Civic Knowledge in their work in San Diego County, but is also made available on the portal for anyone to use. Staff from CalHHS departments now use the same tool to integrate data from different departments, showing how an investment in the open data initiative created the community connection that drove an important process improvement.
