Publishing From SPARCS Data: Review, Disclaimer and Small-Cell Rules

By Two Pillars & Co Advisory Group · Sources checked October 2026

Why does SPARCS review publications?

Projects often reach the publication stage with a deadline and a draft, and then discover a review step. Teams that learn the rules at the start build the time into their plans. The Department’s Mandatory Publication Guidelines, version 1.0 of August 2025, set them out for anyone who has obtained SPARCS hospital discharge data.^[1]

The rationale is the one behind the rest of the SPARCS access framework: the state shares detailed patient-level data for research and public benefit, and in return it wants assurance that outputs protect privacy, represent the data fairly and do not appear to carry the state’s endorsement.

What must you do before publishing?

The guidelines require the recipient to provide the SPARCS Program with a copy of any public-facing report, article, manuscript or other derivative based on the data before submitting it for publication. Program staff review it and may comment. If it is approved for publication or posting, the recipient provides a copy of the final draft.^[1]

For proprietary uses, including dashboards and other online tools, applicants may be required to provide documentation or a demonstration before the Data Governance Committee considers the request.^[1] A team planning a dashboard should raise this early. The guidelines do not state how long review takes, so ask the program before setting a publication date.

What is the small-cell rule?

Publications must follow the CMS small cell size policy of suppressing any results with a value of 10 or less.^[1] A “cell” here is a count in a table, such as the number of discharges for a given diagnosis in a given county. Cells with small values can make individual patients identifiable even when no names appear, so they are suppressed.

In practice, check every table for cells of 10 or fewer before sending a draft. Remember complementary suppression: if a total and all but one of its components are shown, the suppressed component can be calculated by subtraction. The guidelines state the 10-or-less threshold; how to handle derived values is a matter for careful judgment and, where unsure, for asking the program.

What disclaimer is required?

All publications must include a disclaimer. Its substance is that the raw data was provided by the New York State Department of Health, that the calculations, metrics, conclusions and views are those of the authors and not of the State, and that the Department and its staff make no warranty about accuracy, completeness, currency or suitability.^[1] The exact text is in the guidelines and should be copied from there, not paraphrased. The state also does not endorse findings in any publication based on SPARCS data.^[1]

Journalists may share isolated numbers, tables or sentences in a separate document instead of the full article, if organizational policy prevents sharing the whole text. These outputs must still be approved and carry the disclaimer. Failure to comply may result in revocation of approval and disqualification from receiving SPARCS data in the future.^[1]

How do you submit a request for approval?

Publication approval requests go through the SPARCS Release ticketing platform. The requester chooses the option for a publication approval request or final publication and attaches the proposed publication and the application approval letter.^[1][2] The forms page lists the publication guidelines alongside the data use agreements and other documents, so they are best read together at the start of a project.

A sensible checklist is: run the small-cell check on every table, add the exact disclaimer, submit the draft with the approval letter, wait for comments, and send the final draft once approved. Building the review into the project calendar from the beginning avoids the common last-minute scramble.

Frequently asked questions

What to do next

1. Read the guidelines before you start analysis.
2. Run a cell-size check on every table.
3. Add the exact disclaimer.
4. Submit through the ticketing platform early and send the final draft after approval.