Fully queryable REST API

The Open Data API permits access to the open datasets available through Health IT Data. The table below lists all the datasets accessible through the API (not all datasets are accessible through this API at this time.) Below the table, you can find full documentation of the API and how to build queries to filter and sort a dataset. This documentation can also be found on Health IT Data /help page.

This is an ongoing project managed by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. If you have any questions or concerns about this information, please contact ONC.Request@hhs.gov.

API Access

The table below lists all the open datasets (/data) accessible through Health IT Data Open Data API. The table lists the dataset, whether or not its API accessible, and the base API call. The API call returns a JSON response. See the documentation below the table for more information on using the API.

Open API Documentation

This documentation provides instructions on how to query Health IT Data's open API to filter, sort and format an open dataset. You can use this documentation to use the open API in your application or website. Not all of the open datasets available through Health IT Data are accessible through the API. See the API table to determine accessibility to the open API.

Begin your query by entering the API source:

https://www.healthit.gov/data/open-api

 

Next, get the source filename of the CSV formatted dataset, and join that to the API source with a '?':

https://www.healthit.gov/data/open-api?source=AHA_2008-2015.csv

 

This query, on its own, will return a JSON formatted version of the dataset. You can also filter and sort the dataset, and choose what format (CSV or XML) you want the response to be.

To filter a dataset, choose the data field you want to filter (e.g., you likely want to filter by a categorical data field with a finite set of options, like states, time periods, provider types or ZIP codes.) For example, you can filter the referenced dataset by U.S. state and/or time period. You join these filter options to the end of the existing query string:

Filter by region (U.S. state): &region=Maryland

Filter by region and period (year): &region=Maryland&period=2015

 

Together, the query string would be written thusly:

https://www.healthit.gov/data/open-api?source=AHA_2008-2015.csv&region=Maryland&period=2015

 

The above string will provide a JSON response by default. To return the response in XML or CSV format, you must append a &format parameter to the query with the desired data format: &format=csv for a CSV response or &format=xml for a XML response.

If you want the above query in CSV format instead of the default JSON format, simply append the appropriate parameter at the end of the string, thusly:

https://www.healthit.gov/data/open-api?source=AHA_2008-2015.csv&region=Maryland&period=2015&format=csv

 

Always reference a dataset's documentation to build an API query. The documentation page includes all the information you need, including a dataset's filename and data fields.