Data Collection Inventory

Resources produced by the Bowen Center contain descriptive information on Indiana’s licensed health professional workforce. Data originate from 2 primary sources: 1) licensure data extracted from health professionals’ license renewal information and 2) survey data collected during the biennial licensure renewal period for respective professions. Data sources are supplemented through review of additional secondary data sources and primary data collection, and when necessary include but are not limited to manual internet searches of providers’ practice address and telephone surveying. Licensure data reported in the Bowen Center resources are extracted from information health professionals submit to the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA) as part of their initial licensure and/or subsequent license renewals. Only some information that health professionals provide to the IPLA are passed on to the Bowen Center for use in data analysis. The variables that are taken from professionals’ license data are: first name, last name, date of birth, license number, license status, license address, date of initial licensure, and date of license expiration. Survey data are collected during health professionals’ biennial license renewal period. During the license renewal process, professionals who renew their license online are asked to complete a voluntary survey tool. The survey tool is embedded in the online license renewal process, and is administered by the IPLA. The surveys given to each health profession differ slightly from one another, but all are based on Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) minimum data sets (MDSs). If HRSA does not specify a MDS for a profession then the survey questions asked of that profession are chosen to mirror the most appropriate and similar MDS. Key data that are collected from every profession include: work status, practice location(s), and hours spent in practice per week.

Indiana collects health workforce supply information for primary care physicians, psychiatrists, and dentists during professional re-licensing for use for Health Professional Shortage Designation and Medically Underserved Area/Populations applications.