New Capabilities and 2011 Inpatient Visit Statistics in Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Query System

Population rates for diagnoses and procedures is one of several functions recently added to AHRQ’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project’s (HCUP) online query system, HCUPnet, which provides free access to select state and national statistics. AHRQ added a capability for researchers to limit results to non-neonatal, non-maternal discharges and operating room procedures. In addition, AHRQ recently updated HCUPnet with statistics from the 2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS). The 2011 NIS contains hospital visit data from 46 states and provides estimates that can be used to identify, track, and analyze national trends in health care utilization, access, charges, quality, and outcomes. The full NIS and other HCUP databases can be purchased from the HCUP Central Distributor.