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In 2012, drug spending is expected to reach $33 billion. This represents 15.9% of total health expenditures, accounting for the second-largest component of health spending (after hospital spending, at 29.2%).

CIHI tracks where the money comes from and where it is spent. We also look at overall costs and how the money is used in delivering services. To do this, we maintain databases, updated annually, that provide insight on physician, hospital and drug spending across Canada.

We welcome your feedback and questions

Contact us at any of these email addresses

  • Canadian MIS Database (CMDB): cmdb@cihi.ca
  • National Health Expenditure Database (NHEX): nhex@cihi.ca
  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Health Database (Canadian Segment): oecdcs@cihi.ca

Have a data inquiry or research question? Make a custom data request.

Spending by category information

Reports and analyses Databases and data sources Metadata Methodology Key resources Related content

 Reports and analyses
 Databases and data sources
 Metadata
 Methodology
 Key resources
 Related content

Reports and analyses

Databases and data sources

Canadian MIS Database

The Canadian MIS Database (CMDB) is the national data source for financial and statistical information about hospitals and health service organizations; it forms the basis of management reporting, including annual general purpose financial statements, financial ratio analysis and operational budgeting.

National Health Expenditure Database

The National Health Expenditure Database (NHEX) collects, processes and analyzes summary data on all health spending in Canada. It has a wealth of data, extending back more than 35 years.

The information facilitates provincial/territorial, national and international comparative reporting and supports policy planning, decision-making and research. The historical series starts in 1975 and provides actual figures until 2007 and forecast figures for 2008 and 2009.

National Physician Database

The National Physician Database (NPDB) provides information on payments to physicians and their activity within the Canadian health care system. It includes data about how much physicians are paid through fee-for-service and for what kind of services. This data is broken down by age and sex of patients.

Canadian Patient Cost Database

The Canadian Patient Cost Database (CPCD) contains patient-level data from more than 60 organizations in British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta. Costs relate to the individual encounter level for inpatient, outpatient, long-term care, complex continuing care, mental health and rehabilitation services.

Metadata

Metadata is information about data. It helps users understand and interpret data from a specific source.

Find out more about the following data sources:

Data from 1975 to 2012 is available on request.

  • Most recent year
  • 2010 (actual)
  • 2011 and 2012 (forecast)

Next release (October/November 2013)

  • 2011 (actual)
  • 2012 and 2013 (forecast)

Historical series: 1975 to 2012

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Health Database (Canadian Segment)

Canadian Patient Cost Database (CPCD)

Methodology

Data for NHEX is extracted manually from diverse public documents, including national and provincial/territorial public accounts. Other sources include private insurance companies, AC Nielsen Canada and Statistics Canada.

The CMDB records financial and statistical information based on a standardized chart of accounts. Hospitals and other health service organizations are expected to submit MIS Standards–compliant financial and statistical data relating to hospital services to the CMDB. Health regions also submit other health service activities. Most provinces and territories submit hospital data through their respective ministries of health.

The NPDB collects data on provincial/territorial payments to physicians and on physicians’ service use for insured medical services. Data is submitted by the ministries of health and is based on the National Physician Database Data Submission Specifications Manual.

Key resources