Many of the national healthcare provider organizations have created and maintain their own membership-based data inventories for their profession. Public information about their specific methodology (s) for updating is non-existent casting doubt upon their data quality has been well publicized(1-2).

Considering the disparities of membership association data, and other private sector data sources, we determined that because the quality and consistency of provider data is controlled through state mandated licensure processes, it would become the basis for our national healthcare workforce data. 

Therefore, in 2007, the National Center for the Analysis of Healthcare Data (NCAHD) took on the daunting task of researching and identifying sources for healthcare workforce data to establish a process that could assure a consistent data quality that would meet the needs of the research, healthcare education planning and more effective policy and decision-making. We create national ESL datasets for the following providers: Physicians (Allopathic and Osteopathic), Physician Assistants, Advanced Practice Nurses, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Certified Nurse Midwives, Psychologists, Podiatrists, Optometrists, Certified Nurse Specialists, Physical Therapists, Dentists, Dental Hygienists, Pharmacists, Audiologists, Speech Language Pathologists, and Chiropractors.