The Sentinel Distributed Database has a total of 500.1 million unique patient identifiers spanning the 2000 to 2024 time period. If patients move between health plans, they may have more than one patient identifier. A total of 371.5 million patients have at least one day of drug and medical coverage.
Of those with both medical and drug coverage, there are:
128.7 million members currently accruing new data
1.3 billion person-years of data
22.3 billion pharmacy dispensings
24 billion unique medical encounters
73.2 million members with at least one laboratory test result
Additionally, the Sentinel Distributed Database contains 11.8 million deliveries with a mother-infant linkage.
This graph shows the number of members with enrollment in the Sentinel Distributed Database over time. Members are counted in a year if they have at least one day of medical coverage and one day of drug coverage within that year. There are many Data Partners that contribute data to the Sentinel Distributed Database, each with its own “end date” for data. The drop in members in 2021 reflects the current end date of Medicaid data. Data in 2023 and possibly 2022 is likely to be incomplete because of varying end dates. Last updated: 04/23/24
This graph shows the distribution of cumulative enrollment with medical and drug coverage per member within the Sentinel Distributed Database. An enrollment span is defined as having both medical and drug coverage. A single member may contribute multiple enrollment spans to the Sentinel Distributed Database. These are totaled to calculate cumulative enrollment per member. Last updated: 04/23/24
This graph shows the distribution of individual enrollment span lengths within the Sentinel Distributed Database. An enrollment span is defined as having both medical and drug coverage. In this figure, gaps in coverage of less than 45 days are bridged into one enrollment span. A single member may contribute multiple enrollment spans to the Sentinel Distributed Database. The data above show 470.6M enrollment spans, which are derived from 371.5M patients. Last updated: 04/23/24
This map shows the distribution of members by geographic region. Region is determined by their zip code on first day of their most recent enrollment span. Regions are based on the Census Bureau Regions of the United States. Roughly 3% of members in the Sentinel Distributed Database are without geographic data and are not represented in this figure. Data from Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau are excluded from their respective US Census Bureau regions due to low cell counts. Last updated: 04/23/24
Age of active members is determined on the first day of their most recent enrollment span with both medical and drug coverage. The age calculation is based on the most recent information from each Data Partner. Last updated: 04/23/24
The Sentinel Distributed Database has grown over time. This figure displays the growth of the Sentinel Distributed Database as measured by unique patient identifiers contained within the database at the time. If patients move between health plans, they may have more than one patient identifier. Last updated: 04/23/24
This graph shows the distribution of race in the Sentinel Distributed Database for members that have at least one day of medical and drug coverage. The race categories are in accordance with guidance provided by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Last updated: 04/23/24
This graph shows the distribution of Hispanic status in the Sentinel Distributed Database for members that have at least one day of medical and drug coverage. The ethnicity categories are in accordance with guidance provided by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Last updated: 04/23/24
The Sentinel Common Data Model (SCDM) includes a Mother-Infant Linkage (MIL) table that enables the routine evaluation of medical product exposures during pregnancy on outcomes observed during infancy. Mothers and infants are matched mainly on family subscriber numbers and, when available, birth certificate data.Most matches were deterministic, though probabilistic matching methods were also used by some Data Partners. More information about the MIL table may be found in the Mother-Infant Linkage FAQ.
Sentinel's algorithm for determining linkage with an infant requires the assignment of an infant patient identifier within the first year of life. Potential Linkages are discarded if an infant patient identifier is not assigned within one year of the linkage date. Therefore, data in 2023 is incomplete because a full year of eligibility for linkage has not elapsed at all Data Partners.
This graph shows the distribution of linked and unlinked deliveries over time among the Data Partners that contribute to the Mother-Infant Linkage table within the Sentinel Distributed Database. The percentages listed on the graph represent the proportion of linked deliveries within the Sentinel Distributed Database for each year. Last updated: 04/23/24
This graph shows the distribution of linked and unlinked deliveries in each mother’s age group. The Sentinel Distributed Database contains around 549 thousand linked deliveries among 10-19-year-olds, 11.2 million among 20-44-year-olds, and 27 thousand among 45-54-year-olds. It is more common for mothers in the 45-54 years group to have different healthcare plans than their infants, leading to challenges in linkage. The percentages listed on the graph represent the proportion of linked deliveries within the Sentinel Distributed Database for each mother's age group at the time of delivery. Last updated: 04/23/24
