> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.bcbi.brown.edu/codiac-for-health/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.bcbi.brown.edu/codiac-for-health/ursa-ri/datasets/healthcare-cost-and-utilization-project-hcup.md).

# Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)

## Overview

The [Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project](https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/) (HCUP) is a family of databases, software tools, and related products developed through a Federal-State-Industry partnership and sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). HCUP databases are derived from administrative data and contain encounter-level, clinical, and nonclinical information including all-listed diagnoses and procedures, discharge status, patient demographics, and charges for all patients, regardless of payer, beginning in 1988. [\[1\]](#references)

HCUP offers the following databases:

* **National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample (NIS)**: largest publicly available all-payer hospital inpatient care database in the United States
* **Kids' Inpatient Database (KID)**: hospital inpatient stays for children and is specifically designed to allow researchers to study a broad range of conditions and procedures related to children's health
* **Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS)**: emergency department (ED) visits that do not result in an admission as well as ED visits that result in an admission to the same hospital
* **Nationwide Readmissions Database**: designed to support various types of analyses of national readmission rates for all payers and uninsured individuals
* **State Inpatient Databases (SID)**: inpatient discharge abstracts from participating States, translated into a uniform format to facilitate multi-State comparisons and analyses
* **State Ambulatory Surgery and Services Databases (SASD)**: encounter-level data for ambulatory surgery and other outpatient services from hospital-owned facilities
* **State Emergency Department Databases (SEDD)**: discharge information on all emergency department visits that do not result in an admission

<mark style="color:red;">Please note: Access to HCUP databases is</mark> <mark style="color:red;"></mark>*<mark style="color:red;">not</mark>* <mark style="color:red;"></mark><mark style="color:red;">free. Database releases must be purchased through the</mark> [<mark style="color:blue;">Online HCUP Central Distributor</mark>](https://hcup-us.ahrq.gov/tech_assist/centdist.jsp)<mark style="color:blue;">.</mark>

Visit [**AHRQ HCUP**](https://www.ahrq.gov/data/hcup/index.html) for a more information about the databases. Learn more about HCUP on the [HCUP website](https://hcup-us.ahrq.gov/).

## References

1. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (n.d.). [Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)](https://www.ahrq.gov/data/hcup/index.html). Retrieved May 1, 2024.

## Resources

### Links

* [HCUP Website](https://hcup-us.ahrq.gov/)
* [HCUP Databases](https://www.ahrq.gov/data/hcup/index.html)


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