HCUP 2012 National Inpatient Sample is Redesigned and Now Available

AHRQ’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) National Inpatient Sample (NIS) featuring 2012 data is now available. The 2012 NIS was redesigned to improve national estimates. The new design is a 20 percent sample of hospital stays, yielding 7 million discharges from the 4,300 hospitals in HCUP. Prior to 2012, the NIS was a sample of hospitals and included 100 percent of discharges from those hospitals. This and other changes to the NIS design result in more precise national estimates with reductions in sampling error and better data confidentiality. To signify this change in design, AHRQ renamed the “Nationwide Inpatient Sample” the “National Inpatient Sample.” The NIS is used to identify, track and analyze national trends in health care utilization, access, charges, quality and outcomes. As the largest all-payer inpatient visit database in the United States, the NIS enables analyses of infrequent conditions, uncommon treatments and special patient populations, including the uninsured. The 2012 NIS can be purchased through the HCUP Central Distributor, and select statistics are on the free, online query system HCUPnet. Additional information is on the NIS Overview Page.

Familiar with HCUP? Participate in a 1-hour usability interview about HCUPnet and receive possible compensation, if selected. (7/15/14)

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Now Available: The 2012 NIS (7/1/14)

Purchase from the Central Distributor or view select statistics on HCUPnet

Save the date: HCUP's Fall Workshop on September 24 (6/27/14)

Registration will open on August 4

Announcing HCUP's Outstanding Article of the Year Award Recipients (6/2/14)

Read abstracts of the works

The Summer 2014 quarterly HCUP eNewshas been released (6/5/14)

View the latest issue

New Studies added to the Research Spotlights (6/9/14)

View the latest publications

HCUP Statistical Brief #174 and #175(7/1/14)

What is HCUP?

The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) includes the largest collection of longitudinal hospital care data in the United States.

Overview of HCUP
On-line HCUP Overview Course is an interactive course that provides information about HCUP data, software tools, and products
Frequently Asked Questions

HCUP Products

Learn about HCUP products including State and nationwide databases, software and online tools, and reports.

HCUP Databases contain information on inpatient stays, emergency department visits, and ambulatory care
HCUPnet is HCUP's free, online query system that provides immediate access to health statistics
HCUP Tools & Software provide complimentary tools and software to use with HCUP and similar databases
HCUP Reports feature findings, publications, and technical reports on HCUP issues

HCUP Services

Utilize HCUP services to purchase HCUP data, get answers to your HCUP-related questions, and learn how to use the HCUP databases.

Purchase HCUP data through the HCUP Central Distributor
HCUP Technical Assistance answers questions and provides support to HCUP users
HCUP On-line Tutorial Series provides free tutorials on HCUP data and tools, including training on technical methods for conducting research with HCUP data
HCUP Data Use Agreement Training Tool is a required tutorial for all purchasers and users of HCUP data that defines how the data can be used