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HCUPnet FAQ

This page provides answers to commonly asked questions about HCUPnet.

Find other FAQs at:

Contents

 

 

 

Why has HCUPnet been redesigned?

AHRQ recently engaged in an effort to harmonize the look and experience of each data query tool including HCUPnet. This effort helped to modernize, streamline, enhance visualizations, and improve user experience working with AHRQ data.

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Is a tutorial available?

Not at this time, we are collecting information and feedback from our users to determine what assistance may be required.

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Will the old HCUPnet still be available?

The old HCUPnet site (https://hcupnet.ahrq.gov/) will be available through December 2022. Beginning January 2023, the old site will no longer be available.

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Why can’t I query individual ICD-9-CM or ICD-10-CM/PCS codes?

HCUPnet no longer offers the option to query individual ICD-9-CM or ICD-10-CM/PCS codes. Instead, we have integrated the HCUP Clinical Classification Software (CCS) and Clinical Classification Software Refined (CCSR) into HCUPnet, which enables users to query broad groups of diagnoses and procedures that facilitate reporting of clinical concepts relevant for inpatient and/or outpatient care. Counts of inpatient discharges or emergency department (ED) visits for each individual ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM/PCS code are available for each of the nationwide databases in the Database Documentation section of HCUP-US. Note that these counts are presented for all discharges or visits and not stratified by any patient characteristics. For an analysis to be performed at the level of individual ICD-9-CM or ICD-10-CM/PCS codes, we recommend users purchase HCUP data through the Central Distributor.

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Why don’t I see all CCS, CCSR, DRG or MS-DRG categories in the dashboards?

To improve the user experience and ensure the most relevant and informative data is available to users, we have limited the set of condition and procedure categories available for query to the most clinically relevant.

For the Inpatient Setting and Community Level Statistics (CLS) dashboards, procedure categories are limited to those that include operating room (OR) procedures based on the HCUP Procedure Classes for ICD-9-CM or Procedure Classes Refined for ICD-10-PCS tools, values 3 and 4 for major diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, respectively. Some procedure categories include only minor procedures, which are often underreported on hospital administrative discharge records for a few reasons:

  • Billing for the procedure may have been done by the physician, not the hospital.
  • The minor procedure is not expected to affect reimbursement for the inpatient stay and therefore is not coded on the discharge record.
  • There may be a limit on the number of procedure codes that can be reported on the hospital discharge record. Some HCUP Partners include no more than six procedures on the files provided to HCUP.

 

For the CLS county and region-level dashboard, to improve functionality, the set of clinical categories available for query is based on clinical relevance and number of discharges.

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Why can’t I query Ambulatory Surgery data?

The Ambulatory Surgery Data path has not been developed yet for the new query tool. There is no timeline yet for its development.

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Where are statistics on ___?

Based on a clinical review and to improve the new site functionality and performance, some statistics are temporarily not included in the redesigned HCUPnet. These include:

  • CLS dashboard:
    • All-listed CCSR diagnoses
    • 1-year Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Group (MS-DRG) statistics
    • Stays Related to Mental and/or Substance Use Disorders
      • These data can now be found within CCS and CCSR categories
    • Border region statistics
  • Readmissions dashboard:
    • Readmission statistics for the same CCSR in any-listed position
    • Top five reasons for readmission

 

 

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What happened to the option to include related conditions or procedures?

The option to select a principal/first-listed diagnosis or procedure and examine related diagnoses or procedures is not included in the redesigned HCUPnet. For an analysis that examines common secondary diagnoses or procedures most related to the principal/first-listed diagnosis or procedure, we recommend users purchase HCUP data through the Central Distributor.

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Where is the option to stratify estimates by hospital safety net status in the Inpatient Setting dashboard?

The option to stratify estimates by hospital safety net status in the Inpatient Setting dashboard is not included in the redesigned HCUPnet.

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Why do hospital cost estimates and other statistics I queried on the old site differ from the new site?

The method for estimating hospital costs for all years of statistics in HCUPnet was reviewed and updated during the process of redesigning the site. Due to this and other changes, we recommend users rely on statistics from the redesigned site going forward.

During the redesign, we reprocessed all years of data applying consistent data processing procedures. For example, the old site was updated sequentially with each new year of data or data tool update so each year of data output represented a different version of the CCS tool. Now, all data prior to 2016 is based on the most recent version of the CCS tool for diagnoses and procedures.

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Why do my estimates for children in the Inpatient Setting dashboard not match estimates I previously pulled from the old HCUPnet site?

In the redesigned HCUPnet, statistics for children in the Inpatient Setting dashboard are based on all patients (aged 0-20 years) in the HCUP Kids’ Inpatient Database (KID). In the old HCUPnet, statistics for children were also based on the KID, but limited to patients aged 0-17 years.

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Why can’t I select multiple States for a single query on the State dashboards?

Initial designs had limited ability to implement this feature, but we are exploring making this feature available in the future.

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For the Emergency Department (ED) dashboard, why is the first data year available for State-level statistics 2006 instead of 2005?

We made this change to be consistent with the availability of the National ED data.

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Why can’t I select multiple years for a single query when the Cross-Sectional option is selected?

The Cross-Sectional option is specific to single-year estimates. Users that wish to query multiple years at a time should use the Trends option. Alternatively, the years of interest can be queried individually within the Cross-Sectional option and later combined.

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Where is the rank order option?

Users can sort any data table by clicking in the right portion of the column header. Several sort options are available. If you wish to return to the original order, select the “Data Source Order” option.

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How can I save my query results and compare results of multiple analyses as I used to do under “Manage Analysis”?

This feature is not available, but you can download results as a PDF or excel file from multiple queries and compare them. Be mindful that if your results include a table that requires scrolling to view multiple rows and/or columns, the PDF will only display a subset of these rows and/or columns. For that reason, you may wish to modify your results to only display a select number of rows and/or columns at a time to ensure they are all captured.

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How can I focus on a subgroup of interest?

The subgroup of interest option is no longer included in the redesigned HCUPnet. However, some of the subgroups of interest included on the old HCUPnet site can be queried on the redesigned HCUPnet based on selections made in certain dashboards. These include:

  • Children only
    • Available as an option under the Inpatient Setting dashboard. Statistics are based on discharges for patients aged 0-20 years from the KID. This is different from the old HCUPnet site where statistics were limited to patients aged 0-17 years.
  • Operating room (OR) procedures
    • All procedure-related statistics in the redesigned HCUPnet site are limited to OR procedures. Therefore, this subgroup of interest is no longer applicable.
  • Mental health
    • Available as a classification option in the Inpatient Setting-Diagnosis and Procedure dashboard under ‘General Conditions’.
    • Available as a classification option in the Inpatient Setting and Readmissions Diagnoses dashboards under ‘MDC’.
    • Available in the Inpatient Setting and Emergency Department Setting under “Diagnoses – Clinical Classifications Software Refined (CCSR).” Specifically, CCSR categories that begin with the three-character abbreviation “MBD.”

 

Options to limit results to non-maternal or non-neonatal discharges or patients with the highest severity illness are not included in the redesigned HCUPnet.

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Data Use Agreement for HCUPnet

Attempts to identify individuals or hospitals subject to federal penalty

Data Use Agreement for HCUPnet
Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP),
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ),
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

You are accessing a healthcare data website that provides information on use of hospital care. The AHRQ Confidentiality Statute prohibits the use of AHRQ HCUP data to identify any person (including, but not limited to, patients, physicians, and other health care providers) or establishment (including, but not limited to, hospitals).1

Users of data on the HCUPnet website must agree to the following terms:

  • I will make no attempts to identify individuals, including by the use of vulnerability analysis or penetration testing. In addition, methods that could be used to identify individuals directly or indirectly shall not be disclosed, released, or published.
  • I will make no attempts to identify establishments directly or by inference.
  • I will not use deliberate technical analysis to discover or release information on small numbers of observations ≤10.
  • I will not attempt to link this information with individually identifiable records from any other source.
  • I will not attempt to use this information to contact any persons or establishments in the data for any purpose.

Violations of the AHRQ Confidentiality Statute may be subject to a civil penalty of up to $14,140 under 42 U.S.C. 299c-3(d). Deliberately making a false statement about this or any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the Federal Government violates 18 U.S.C. § 1001 and is punishable by a fine, up to five years in prison, or both.

Violators of this Agreement may also be subject to penalties under state confidentiality statutes that apply to these data for particular states.

By clicking the agreement below, I acknowledge that I agree to comply with these terms.

1 Section 944(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 299c-3(c)).

Note: If you select Do Not Accept, you will be redirected back your previous page or the AHRQ Data Tools home page.