Japan Medical Data Center® (JMDC): Electronic Medical Record Database (Japan)

Summary

Coordinating Country

Japan

Region

Japan

Brief Database Description

The JMDC: EMR - Electronic Medical Record Database (Japan) Database consists of claims, Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC) survey data, and electronic medical records (lab test results) collected from medical institutions nationwide. It includes all comorbidities / complications of the patients and their treatments.

The database started in 2020 and today has a total population size of 14 Million. Standardized lab test results (>250) centered on blood / urine tests are available.

Database Type

Longitudinal Population Database

- - - Outpatient and inpatient

- - Electronic Medical Records

The EMR-based database consists of claims, DPC survey data, and electronic medical records collected from medical institutions nationwide. Both outpatient and inpatient data are included.

Database Source

Medical Insurance Claims

EHR/EMR

Other

[Claims (inpatient, outpatient and pharmacy).
DPC Data.
Health checkup results and subscriber ledgers collected from health insurance associations nationwide.]

Frequency of Data Collection

Ongoing

JMDC collects all claims information on a monthly basis (medical inpatient and outpatient, pharmacy claims).
NOTE: After the initial contract, the first data will take three months to be stored. However, after that, it will be stored as soon as possible after a medical institute updates.

Frequency of Data Update

Quarterly

(Every 2-3 months)

Years Covered

2020 - Present

Population Type

General Population

Outpatient/Non-Institutionalized

Inpatient

Insured

Emergency Room (ER/ED) Population

(Insured members of the general population, specifically outpatients or hospitalized inpatients.
Insurance type: Health Insurance Association, which insures employees who work for large-middle sized companies and their family members.)

Patient Type

Inpatient and Outpatient

Emergency Room (ER/ED)

Date of Last Update

Ongoing

JMDC: EMR Database is updated on a quarterly basis.
This profile was first developed for the B.R.I.D.G.E. TO DATA site on April 24, 2025.

Population Dynamics

Database Population Size

5 - 20 Million

On an accumulated basis, the total population size since January 2020 is 14 Million

Active Population Size

5 - 20 Million

NOTE: For the year 2021, the active population size was 7 Million

Annual Change in Population

10-15%

(Gained eligibility: 15%
Lost eligibility: 10%)

Sample Weights - Extrapolation Factors

N/A

NOTE: Data are not captured on persons aged over 75 years old

Final Population Size

N/A

(Not applicable, as data collection is ongoing)

Demographic Data

Age of Patients at Data Collection

Yes

(Age or YOB)

Approximate Percentage of Participants <18 years and those >65 years

0-19 years = 15%
20-64 years = 47%
65+ years = 38%

NOTE: Data are not captured on persons aged over 75 years old

Gender Data

Yes

Percentage of Males/Females

Males = 49%
Females = 51%

Ethnicity / Race Data

Geographic Location

All regions of Japan

Date of Birth Recorded

Yes

(Month / Year; Year = YYYY, i.e., information is captured on year of birth only)

Death Recorded

Yes

However, it is not fully captured, so information is limited

Availability of death certificate / autopsy information

Other Demographic Data

Physician & Practioner Info

Physician ID

Physician Specialty

Technically speaking, not all physician’s specialties are recorded on claims directly. However, the following information is used to identify specialty:
- Specialty information recorded on claims (34%);
- Refer to clinic specialty master and clinic ID on medical claims (61%).
Thus, a total of 95% of specialty information can be identified using the above method.

Pharmacy ID

(Privatized)

Diagnoses/Signs & Symptoms

Diagnosis Data

Yes

JMDC assembles the database by copying all descriptive items on all claims information (including inpatient, outpatient, pharmacy claims) derived from all health care services under health insurance systems within a population. It includes all comorbidities/complications of patients and their treatments.

Using individual identification, JMDC assembles cross-sectional information on consultations made freely by each patient, so that patient data can be tracked in chronological order. Even if a patient visits multiple medical institutions, all hospital consultations can be gathered because all claims are collected for insurers.

Diagnoses Coded

ICD-10

Diagnoses: Date Parameters

2020 - Present

Diagnoses: Maximum Number of Codes Allowed

Unlimited

Physical Examination Findings

Yes

BMI, height, weight data are all included, if these data are recoded in EMR

Birth Defect Data

Cancer Data

Yes

TMN, tumor markers data; if these data are recorded in the EMR

Infectious Disease Data

Yes

Information is included on diagnosis as well as laboratory results

Environmental Exposures

Behavioral Data Elements

Procedures

Procedure Data

Yes

Disease and treatment algorithms can be obtained through accumulating time-series data for each patient. JMDC includes information on all comorbidities / complications of the patients and their treatments.

By linking "EMR data" and "claims data," analysis from different angles (such as the relationship between test values and treatments) is available.

Procedures Coded

ICD-9-CM

NOTE: Japan's unique coding system is used for procedures. Part of surgeries and measures are coded using ICD-9-CM.

Number of Procedures Coded

Unlimited

Procedure Date Parameters

2020 - Present

Laboratory Information

Yes

Information includes dates on blood and urine tests, electrolytes, glucose, imaging, histological , biomarkers, lipids, organ function.

Drug Information

Drug Data

Yes: Prescription only

Drug Date Parameters

2020 - Present

Drug Regimen & Route

Yes

Information is available on frequency of drug administration

Drug Manufacturer

Yes

Information is available on the name of drugs

Drug Dosage

Yes

Information is available on dosage per day

Drug Days Supply

Yes

Information is available on duration of drug administration

Drug Coding System: Maximum Number

Unlimited

Drug Coding System: Primary

ATC-EPhMRA/IPMRG

ATC-WHO

Drug Coding System: Other

N/A

(Not applicable)

Drug Generic Name

Yes

Generic names are captured

Drug Additional Information

Yes

Information is available on standard price of each drug, in addition to name of manufacturer, and drug dosage.
Treatment journey data (first/second choice, switch/add-on/drop medications) can be gathered via data analysis.

Biobanks

Biobank Type

N/A

Human Specimen

N/A

Blood Type

N/A

Biomarkers

N/A

Patient ID

N/A

Number of Samples

N/A

Frequency of Sample Collection

N/A

Pre-diagnostic Sample Collection

N/A

Post-treatment Sample Collection

N/A

Method of Sample Collection

N/A

Age at Sample Collection

N/A

Date of Sample Collection

N/A

Reason for Sample Collection

N/A

Method of Sample Storage

N/A

Length of Sample Storage

N/A

Pathology

N/A

DNA Isolation

N/A

RNA Isolation

N/A

Cell Culture

N/A

Genetic Testing

N/A

Access for Research: Specimens

N/A

Access for Research: Genetic Data

N/A

Access for Research: Epidemiologic Data

N/A

Quality Assurance Procedures

N/A

Family History

N/A

Medical History

N/A

Biobank Linkage

N/A

Genetic-PGx Data

Type of Genetic Database

N/A

Source of Genetic Data

N/A

Specimen Genotyped

N/A

Tissue Form

N/A

Genetic Template

N/A

Gene-Drug Response

N/A

Gene-Disease Relationship

N/A

Gene-Health Outcome Relationship

N/A

Gene-Environment Response

N/A

Method of Imputing Genetic Data

N/A

Genetic Variant Identification

N/A

Genetic Data Level

N/A

Genotyping Method

N/A

Method of Genetic Variant Filtering

N/A

Haplotypes

N/A

Haplogroups

N/A

Variable Number of Tandem Repeats (VNTR)

N/A

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs)

N/A

Variant Type

N/A

Variant Class

N/A

Mutation Indicated

N/A

Position

N/A

Amino Acid Change

N/A

Genotype / Polymorphism

N/A

Allele Frequency

N/A

Linkage Disequilibrium (r²)

N/A

Noncarriers Indicated

N/A

Association Statistics

N/A

Genetic Relatedness Pairing

N/A

Data Sharing: Genetic Data

N/A

Access for Research

N/A

Genetic Data Linkage

N/A

Description of Genetic Data Linkage

N/A

Economic Data

Cost Data

Yes

Information is available on standard price of each drug/procedure. In addition, total cost by claims is also available.

Cost Denomination

Japanese Yen (JPY)

Type of Cost Data

Yes

In Japan, all insured members pay 30% of their expenses at medical institutions, and the rest of them are covered by their insurance, except members in Latter-Stage Elderly Healthcare System.

Surrogate Cost Data Link

Yes

Description of Surrogate Link

Yes

Procedure: Based on Medical Reimbursement system in Japan;
Drugs: Based on National Health Insurance (NHI) drug price listing in Japan.

Validation & Linkage

Data Validation Against Original Source

N/A

(Not applicable)

Access to Medical Records

Linkage to Other Databases

Brief Description of Linkage Capabilities

N/A

(Not applicable)

Administrative Information

Database Contact Data

JMDC Inc.
Sumitomo Shibadaimon Bldg 12F
2-5-5, Shibadaimon
Minato-ku
Tokyo 105-0012
JAPAN
Phone: +81-03-5733-5010　
Email: info@jmdc.co.jp

Website

https://www.eng.phm-jmdc.com/

https://phm.jmdc.co.jp/

Alternate Contact

You may also contact the company by completing the contact form at: https://www.jmdc.co.jp/en/inquiry/

Source of Database Funding

Private

[(Private company, therefore no funds are received from outside. However, the stock holder is Noritsu Koki Co., Ltd. (https://www.noritsu.co.jp/english/)]

Sponsoring Government Agency

N/A

(Not applicable)

Sponsoring Pharmaceutical Manufacturer

N/A

(Not applicable)

Database Usage Restrictions

Public & Private Access

All data (claims and annual health checkup) can be provided to both public and private sectors. There is no difference in access to data.

Charge for Database Usage

Yes

Cost varies as follows:
- Full database access license (JPY 108,000,000)
- Access license for requested area (cost depends on request)
- Analysis/consulting service (cost depends on request)

Data Media Format

SAS / SPSS

Excel / CSV

NOTE: Data in CSV or SAS are provided via Amazon S3.

Number of Publications Using Database

>50 research papers

For more articles visit https://go.jmdc.co.jp/l/799233/2025-02-03/bbt91/799233/1738569853N21H7dDP/publication_list_2501.pdf

References of Studies Using/Describing Database

1. Yabuuchi M, Yokoyama K. Safety risks of interstitial lung disease upon real-world usage of Janus kinase inhibitors and biologics for patients with autoimmune diseases: epidemiological study using nationwide electronic medical record database in Japan. Immunol Med. 2024 Sep;47(3):130-141.

2. Hiraga K, Takeuchi M, Kimura T, Yoshida S, Kawakami K. Prediction models for in-hospital deaths of patients with COVID-19 using electronic healthcare data. Curr Med Res Opin. 2023 Nov;39(11):1463-1471. doi: 10.1080/03007995.2023.2270420. Epub 2023 Oct 28. Erratum in: Curr Med Res Opin. 2024 Aug;40(8):1453.

3. Iijima H, Gouda M, Hida H, Mori-Anai K, Takahashi A, Minai R, Ninomiya H, Saito Y, Miyawaki A, Wada J. Renal outcomes with sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors in Japanese people with grade 3 chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes: Analysis of medical administrative databases. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2024 May;26(5):1615-1623.

4. Kawai K, Ishii M, Kokado Y, Horikawa T, Hoshino J. Outcomes of Early Versus Delayed Anemia Treatment in Nondialysis-Dependent CKD. Kidney Int Rep. 2024 Apr 15;9(7):2056-2066.

5. Hayashi A, Mizuno K, Shinkawa K, Sakoda K, Yoshida S, Takeuchi M, Yanagita M, Kawakami K. Effect of multidisciplinary care on diabetic kidney disease: a retrospective cohort study. BMC nephrology. 2024 Mar 25;25(1):114.

6. Tanaka T, Maruyama S, Chishima N, Akiyama H, Shimamoto K, Inokuchi S, Yokota K, Ozaki A. Population characteristics and diagnosis rate of chronic kidney disease by eGFR and proteinuria in Japanese clinical practice: an observational database study. Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 2;14(1):5172.

7. Inokuchi S, Shimamoto K. Persistent Risk of Developing Autoimmune Diseases Associated With COVID-19: An Observational Study Using an Electronic Medical Record Database in Japan. J Clin Rheumatol. 2024 Mar 1;30(2):65-72.

8. Masaki H, Shimamoto K, Inokuchi S, Ishizaki S. Treatment of Chronic Constipation using Elobixibat in a Real-World Setting: A Retrospective Cohort Study using an Electronic Medical Records Database in Japan. Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2023 Oct 28;99:100724.

9. Okumura Y, Kimura T, Inokuchi S, Okamoto M, Takano T, Miyake M, Kumagai Y. Real-World Hepatic Safety of Oral Acetaminophen Versus Loxoprofen/Celecoxib: Using a Nationwide Electronic Medical Record Database. J Clin Pharmacol. 2023 Jul;63(7):798-806.

10. Uno S, Midorikawa S, Inoue K, Ichikawa D, Ito T, Kuroda J, Suzuki K. Survival outcomes among patients with multiple myeloma in the era of novel agents: exploratory assessment using an electronic medical record database in Japan. PLoS One. 2023 May 31;18(5):e0285947.

Database Contact

Database Contact Data

JMDC Inc.
Sumitomo Shibadaimon Bldg 12F
2-5-5, Shibadaimon
Minato-ku
Tokyo 105-0012
JAPAN
Phone: +81-03-5733-5010　
Email: info@jmdc.co.jp

Alternate Contact

You may also contact the company by completing the contact form at: https://www.jmdc.co.jp/en/inquiry/

Literature References

References of Studies Using/Describing Database

4. Kawai K, Ishii M, Kokado Y, Horikawa T, Hoshino J. Outcomes of Early Versus Delayed Anemia Treatment in Nondialysis-Dependent CKD. Kidney Int Rep. 2024 Apr 15;9(7):2056-2066.