OBJECTIVES: This study aims to stimulate the use of secondary data in health economic analyses, based on a better understanding of available possibilities using Brazilian public health databases (DATASUS) and to develop a case study focused on the treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: This study was conceived as a transversal observation of the available public databases, including outpatient and inpatient information. Conducting studies using real world data is possible due to the identification of the individual under treatment. This identification does not allow determining the patient's identity, but allows tracking patients’ treatment and outcomes. The total amounts of spending in the outpatient and inpatient settings have been analyzed. Besides, a case study was developed focusing on patients hospitalized due to AMI. The quantity of treatments performed, treatment centers involved and the associated mortality were evaluated. High volume centers (HVCs) were compared to low volume centers (LVCs). RESULTS: In the outpatient setting, about 3 million patients were treated in 2011 resulting in expenses of approximately 8.7 billion dollars. In the inpatient setting, more than 9 million patients’ records were found, resulting in expenditures of around 13.1 billion dollars. In 2012, 57,133 hospitalizations due to AMI were identified in 2,138 centers. Eighty per cent of the hospitalizations occurred in 25% of the centers. In the HVCs an average of 87 hospitalizations due to AMI were recorded per year versus 7 in the LVCs. The mortality rate due to AMI was lower in the HVCs when compared to the LVCs (14.9% vs 15.8%; p< 0.05) and the average length of stay was higher (8.7 vs 5.2 days). CONCLUSIONS: Health managers should use the thorough analyzes based on secondary data provided by DATASUS for decision making and to better allocate scarce resources in health care.