CENTER FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE
Frequently Asked Questions about REDCap
for Reporting Local Public Health Act Performance Measures
This guide provides answers to a list of frequently asked questions about REDCap, which community health boards will use
to report their Local Public Health Act performance measures.
GENERAL QUESTIONS
WHY IS MDH MAKING THE CHANGE
TO REDCAP?
The REDCap system offers three primary advantages over the
previous reporting system: the ability for community health
boards to access their own data, alignment with other MDH
programs like SHIP (Statewide Health Improvement Program), and
updated technology that is easier for MDH to administer.
QUICK HINTS
 Review the REDCap training guides for
assistance on logging in, navigating the REDCap
system, and filling out the data entry forms.
 Use the PPMRS instructions and worksheets to
compile your community health board’s data
prior to entering it into your REDCap project.
 Contact MDH with questions:
[email protected].
WHY CAN'T I LOG IN TO REDCAP?
If you are having problems logging in, please try logging out and logging back in. If this does not work, contact us.
WHY DON’T I HAVE ACCESS TO ANY PROJECTS WHEN I LOG IN TO
REDCAP?
Prior to being assigned to a REDCap project, you will see a message under the My Projects tab stating “You do not have
access to any projects.” When reporting opens, this message will be replaced with the corresponding project(s) to which
you have access.
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FRE QUE N TL Y AS KE D Q UE S TIO NS A BO U T RE D C AP
WHERE CAN I GET A COPY OF THE DATA I ENTERED?
You can obtain a copy of your data after you have completed your data entry. You may download or print a PDF file of your
responses.
USER ACCOUNT AND PASSWORD
WHO NEEDS A REDCAP USER ACCOUNT?
CHS administrators and staff who will be entering data for the Local Public Health Act performance measures will require
user accounts.
WHAT IF I ALREADY HAVE A REDCAP ACCOUNT?
Please list yourself on the user account request form to confirm you still need REDCap access. Existing usernames and
passwords still work in REDCap.
WHAT IF MY REDCAP ACCOUNT HAS EXPIRED?
Please list yourself on the user account request form, and your REDCap access will be reinstated.
HOW MANY USER ACCOUNTS CAN I REQUEST?
Your community health board can request up to four accounts. If your community health board needs additional user
accounts, please contact MDH: [email protected]
CAN I SHARE MY USER ACCOUNT?
User accounts should not be shared between staff. Users should always use their own user account to log into REDCap.
CAN I REQUEST A DEPARTMENT-WIDE USER ACCOUNT?
Department-wide user accounts are not available. Each individual who reports data into REDCap needs his or her own
account. Each account is unique to the individual.
However, if that individual reports data into other MDH programs that also use REDCap (like SHIP), s/he will use his/her
same individual user account to do so.
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FRE QUE N TL Y AS KE D Q UE S TIO NS A BO U T RE D C AP
WILL MY REDCAP USER ACCOUNT REPLACE MY PPMRS ACCOUNT
AND PASSWORD?
Your REDCap user account will supplement your PPMRS account; your REDCap user account will not replace it.
Your community health board will use one department-wide PPMRS user account to report budget, finance, and staffing
information, as well as to update contact information.
Individuals reporting a community health board’s Local Public Health Act performance measures will use their individual
REDCap user accounts.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I FORGET MY PASSWORD?
REDCap users are encouraged to set up a password recovery question when they create an account. If you forget your
password you can quickly recover it by clicking the “Forgot Your Password” link on the REDCap login screen.
WHY HAS MY ACCOUNT BEEN AUTO-SUSPENDED?
REDCap will auto-suspend a user’s account if s/he has not logged in after an extended period of time (approximately 180
days). When your account status is changed, you will receive an automatically generated email about the suspension. This is
an important security feature that better enables MDH to manage all user accounts.
DATA ENTRY
WHAT IS A RECORD ID?
The Record ID links the data you report in REDCap to your specific community health board. You will need this number to
report your community health board’s data.
DO I NEED TO SELECT THE RECORD ID NUMBER EACH TIME I
CHANGE DATA ENTRY FORMS?
No. To navigate between forms, you can select the “Save and go to Next Form” button if you wish to move to the next form
for the current record.
WHY IS AN ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE REQUIRED?
CHS administrators are required to submit an electronic signature to certify the information provided during reporting is
accurate.
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