• CIHI helps inform implementing jurisdictions of business requirements for data collection and submission.
• CIHI provides education and training on submitting interRAI data.
• CIHI can help you create a CIHI profile and request access to services.
• CIHI client service experts provide ongoing support to help organizations submit data, troubleshooting as needed. 

The Integrated interRAI Reporting System (IRRS) uses near real-time data submissions. Assessors will receive error messages and other pop-ups during assessment completion rather than via a report after quarter end. To ensure high-quality data, staff should be trained on how to resolve these notifications using a standardized approach. 

Encounters must be closed in IRRS when a person has been discharged. This is important for reporting and data quality purposes.

Doing so closes the encounter with an actual (true) discharge date, provides information on residential/living status after the encounter ended, and provides accurate counts of discharged persons, which may feed into other reports such as length of stay, client volumes and turnover analysis. 

Define a process for a person’s next due assessment by doing one of the following:

• Retaining the existing assessment cycle and completing a first assessment in IRRS at the person’s next due assessment date.
• Starting fresh in IRRS.

Note: Retaining the existing assessment cycle will allow for staggered deadlines throughout the year. Setting a standard first assessment reference date for all assessments at the start of data collection will result in subsequent assessments being due at the same time, ultimately impacting workload. 
 

There is a subset of data available through the query functionality in IRRS, as well as through your vendor software solution, that you can access to assess your data quality.

CIHI recommends working with your software vendor to review your reporting requirements and develop data quality reports that meet your specific business needs. CIHI will not be providing submission-type reports (i.e., submission, verification and data quality audit reports) for IRRS. 

Create and validate data flows and business processes early to simplify understanding of the overall process and reduce misunderstandings. Visual diagrams can be helpful. 

Map the current state and future ideal state: 

• Determine go-live dates (to adopt the assessment, to start collecting data using the new interRAI suite and to submit data to IRRS). 
• Compare and contrast what will change (clinical, technical and business processes). 
• Determine what is out of scope (e.g., private facilities) and the resulting impact on implementation. 
• Determine whether the jurisdiction will take a phased approach to implementation (e.g., 1 region at a time) and possible impacts on reporting. (CIHI does not recommend a phased approach at the facility level due to the potential impact on data quality.)

Different jurisdictions and health regions across Canada have different data flow models.

IRRS allows for near real-time submission of interRAI assessments that in turn allows more timely reporting on secure reporting platforms. By enabling organizations to submit directly to IRRS, jurisdictions and organizations would benefit from near real-time data quality checks. 

Data flows in near real-time

A6 facility/agency identifier and A6b site identifier

To set up organizations for submission, each organization will need a facility/agency identifier. In assessments, this element is A6; and in the Integrated interRAI Reporting System (IRRS), this element is iA6a. 

Facility/agency identifiers are alphanumeric codes (between 1 and 36 characters) that uniquely identify the facility or agency associated with a particular patient, encounter and assessment. 

For home care data submission, CIHI will work with jurisdictions to determine assignment of organization identifiers for A6 and A6b (e.g., region, agency, service delivery sites). The use of A6b is optional and would be useful for home care site-level reporting.

For long-term care facilities, A6 would be the facility number, often the same number that has been used for Continuing Care Reporting System (CCRS) submission, if applicable. A6b is not available for use by long-term care facilities.

Typically, the relevant government ministry or health authority generates unique organization identifiers; however, CIHI can create organization identifiers if required.

If you are a staff member at a long-term care facility and have questions about your A6 facility number, please connect with your government ministry or health authority contact.
 

Systems that are used to submit data to IRRS need to be registered. System registration must be completed prior to the start of data submission. 

Designate a person from your organization to complete system registration, or request your software vendor to complete this process on your behalf. For some systems, it may be easier to have your software vendor complete this registration.

Regardless of who completes system registration, the designated person will need to request access to the specific organization(s) they will include in their registration.

Request access

From the time it is collected until the time it is shared and used, data passes through many hands. Fostering a quality-oriented culture along the data supply chain can help people detect issues early in the process, avoiding costly fixes. 

Collecting accurate information in the assessment leads to efficiencies and better decisions, which provides a better quality of care.

Quality data helps to

• Support health care management
• Inform public policy
• Build public awareness about factors that affect health

Learn how quality data can be used to improve health care: CIHI Data Helps Battle Depression

Data quality checks help to

• Monitor and demonstrate the activity compliance, including timeliness of submissions
• Track submission activities (number of record submissions accepted, rejected or deleted in the Integrated interRAI Reporting System [IRRS])
• Measure and monitor outcomes after data quality initiatives have been implemented

Data quality activities should be monitored on an ongoing basis. In addition, data quality procedures should be reviewed regularly and updated as necessary.

To support continuous improvement, it is recommended that your organization use data quality reports. These reports should be made available in the vendor solution as discussed on the vendor solution considerations web page. 

Data quality reports complement IRRS real-time error notification by identifying common errors and flagging missing longitudinal records, such as assessment or discharge information for a person for a specified period.