Freshness
Where to see how current each dataset is, and what lag to expect from each source.
Refresh dates in the product
Every database table shows Last refreshed and a date in its footer. That date is when Qope last loaded that dataset, not when the publisher last changed it. Hover it for the exact time.
The Medicare provider tables (Prov Summary, Prov Services and Prov Drugs) also name the year the data describes, for example CMS 2024 data. Hovering adds "Figures cover calendar year 2024".
Analysis pages that combine several datasets end with a Sources line. It names each dataset the page read with its own refresh date, for example "CMS Medicare Part D by drug (2024 data), refreshed" and the date. If a date could not be read, the line says refresh date unavailable for that source. You will find it on:
- Patent Cliff and Shortages Tracker
- Territory Brief, Insights, Cohorts and Compare
- Radar, under its list of changes
The Patent Cliff header also shows Oldest input with the refresh date of the oldest dataset it read.
Publication lag and loading lag
Two different delays stack:
- Publication lag -- how long the agency takes to publish. This is by far the larger of the two. The Medicare provider files describe a completed calendar year, so the newest year in Qope (2024) is well behind today.
- Loading lag -- the time between a publisher's release and Qope loading it.
Refresh dates show only the second. For what each publisher covers, see Sources.
What "current" means per dataset
| Dataset family | What the newest row actually describes |
|---|---|
| NPPES providers | The registry as of the last load |
| FDA shortages | The list as it stands now. Resolved shortages drop off |
| FDA recalls | Enforcement reports as filed, with report and termination dates |
| Orange Book, Purple Book | The current published edition |
| NDC Directory | Currently listed products, with marketing start and end dates |
| NADAC | The most recent weekly pricing file |
| Medicaid rebate drugs | The latest quarterly file |
| Medicare Part D and Part B provider files | A completed calendar year, currently 2024 |
| ACO performance | A completed performance year |
| HRSA HPSA, MUA, health centers | The current designation and site files |
| CHPL and EHR linkage | The current certification and attestation records |
| State populations | U.S. Census Bureau estimates for July 1, 2025 |
The shortage list has no history
The FDA shortage list is a live list, not an archive. That has three consequences:
- Resolved shortages leave the list, so counts of past shortages cannot be rebuilt from it.
- Median shortage duration is computed over open shortages only, because too few resolved rows remain to be representative.
- The Last revised distribution always leans to recent months, since each record is counted once at its latest revision.
Repeat visits
Analysis pages reuse recent reads, so two visits a few minutes apart can show identical figures. This keeps a page steady while you work through it. Each visit still uses a credit, see Usage and Limits.
A Patent Cliff or Shortages build in which any source failed is never reused. The page says what is missing, and the next visit tries again.
When a date looks old
- Check the Last refreshed date in the table footer, or the Sources line on the page.
- Compare it with the publisher's own release date. Several FDA sources are published free on openFDA (open.fda.gov).
- If Qope's date is well behind the publisher's, report it through the feedback form.