National inpatient sample (NIS) or other database question

has anyone been able to get access to this database or any other database without institutional support? love my med school but sometimes these issues are low on the priority list and i feel like i cant do research at the pace that i want to. I wanted to finish a project during the winter time but my mentor just didn't have the time, which is totally cool since its holiday season. Just trying to see if i can get some data access by myself so i can pace myself how i want to. NIS is the one in particular that I need for a project im collaborating on. I'm gonna try to fill out their user agreements tonight to see if this is possible. any insights/experiences you can share are appreciated. Thanks guys!