Institutional data—a vital resource
UW–Madison has vast amounts of institutional data, and organizing this rich resource is critical to ensuring its accessibility. Madison’s data governance program groups data into high-level categories known as domains, and a new domain, Health Information, was recently defined.
New Health Information domain
The Health Information domain includes data covered by HIPAA and other medical data privacy laws, as well as data related to an individual’s health or health care that is not covered by any particular law. The domain is divided into two categories.
- HIPAA Protected Health Information (PHI): HIPAA is a federal law that protects the privacy of certain health information. PHI is identifiable information about a person’s health or health care that is handled by a HIPAA-covered organization or a vendor working on its behalf.
- Other Health Information: Personal health data not covered by HIPAA, which includes health information for employees, such as FMLA or disability status, and for students, such as University Health Services records.
Both categories contain personal data that must be handled with care, aligning with privacy and security standards. Additional information about the health information domain is available, including data systems and data classification rationale.
More about our institutional data domains
UW—Madison’s data domains align with the university’s central business functions, such as human resources, finance, and libraries. Our current data domains and examples of data they include are:
- Academic Planning: course catalog and programs.
- Facilities: space management and real estate transactions.
- Finance and Budget: financial data, including expense and revenue transactions and operating budget.
- Health Information: HIPAA-regulated data and other personal health information
- Human Resources: appointment records and salary.
- Information Technology: network devices and applications.
- Library: library holdings and digital collections.
- Research Administration: awards and expenses of research projects.
- Research Compliance: information needed to meet research protocols.
- Student Record, Admissions, and Financial Aid (Enrollment Management): course records, GPA, transcripts, and participation in financial aid programs.
- Teaching & Learning: course evaluations and digital learning tool.