Data Sources
We assembled a cohort of inpatients or outpatients using the Med-Echo
administrative databases (hospital discharge reports), medical services
of the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ), and RAMQ
public drug plans, all databases administered by the
RAMQ.25-28 The databases were linked via encrypted
health insurance numbers. Information from these databases provided a
complete picture of hospital admissions, medical services and medication
used, if the patient still living in the Quebec province.