News and Announcements

Register Today for June 25 HCUP Hands-On Readmissions Workshop at AcademyHealth’s Annual Research Meeting Preconference Methods Seminars!

The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) is holding a workshop at the preconference Methods Seminar ofAcademyHealth’s 2016 Annual Research Meeting. The workshop, sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), is entitled HCUP In-Depth: A Hands-on Workshop Using Data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project – Using the Nationwide Readmissions Database. It will provide an overview of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), with specific hands-on opportunities to use the 2013 Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD). The NRD is a new nationwide database used to create estimates of national readmissions rates for all payers, including the uninsured. HCUP faculty will describe the design of the NRD and provide step by step instructions on producing national readmission rates for a condition as well as examining characteristics of hospital stays.

To register for this preconference workshop, which takes place Saturday, June 25 at 1:00 pm Eastern Time in Boston, Massachusetts, please download the registration form and submit via email at registrations@academyhealth.org or fax to AcademyHealth at 202.292.6891.

Workshop participants not familiar with HCUP are encouraged to view two HCUP online tutorials prior to attending the seminar: the HCUP Overview Course and NRD Tutorial.

HCUP’s 2015 Outstanding Article of the Year Awards

Two studies will receive the sixth annual HCUP Outstanding Article of the Year Award at the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting. The Award honors articles published in peer-reviewed journals in 2015 that used HCUP data to explore and address health care research topics and issues.

Since 2010, The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has recognized exceptional research conducted using the HCUP databases in the clinical and health policy arenas. This research continues to enhance public conversation about health care costs, outcomes, and trends. Over the past 6 years, the Awards have come to be recognized as a distinguished honor among health services researchers with a variety of clinical insights, economic interests, and policy backgrounds. AHRQ is proud of the important work being done with HCUP data, and AHRQ staff members look forward to future exciting research using HCUP data.

Learn About HCUP at the American Society of Health Economists’ Sixth Biennial Conference and AcademyHealth’s Annual Research Meeting

HCUP will be hosting a number of events at two upcoming conferences: The American Society of Health Economists’ Sixth Biennial Conference (ASHEcon) and the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM).

ASHEcon will be held June 12–15 at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Activities will include a preconference workshop on the use of HCUP databases for health economics research, numerous podium and poster presentations, and an exhibit booth.

ARM will be held June 26–28 in Boston, Massachusetts. Activities will include a 4-hour preconference workshop on the use of HCUP databases with a hands-on opportunity to use the HCUP Nationwide Readmissions Database (described above), an adjunct session announcing the HCUP Outstanding Article of the Year Award recipients, numerous podium and poster presentations, and an exhibit booth.

A complete list of HCUP sessions is available in the HCUP Events section of this newsletter. Additional information is available on the HCUP-US Web site. We hope to see you at these conferences!

HCUP Fast Stats Update

AHRQ has again updated the first topic in HCUP Fast Stats, Effect of Medicaid Expansion on Hospital Use, to include newly received quarterly and annual inpatient data. Since the last update in December 2015, the tool has been updated to include 2015 data (for a total of 15 States) and to augment 2014 data (for a total of 39 States). The 15 States with 2015 data are Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

In addition, AHRQ plans to expand the Effect of Medicaid Expansion on Hospital Use to include State-level trends in hospital emergency department visits by expected payer. With this new release, the topic will be renamed Effect of Health Insurance Expansion on Hospital Use to account for the growth of Medicaid and private insurance marketplaces.

For additional information, please refer to the Fast Stats Frequently Asked Questions page or contact HCUP User Support.

Now Available: The 2015 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report

AHRQ has released the 2015 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report (QDR). Beginning with the 2014 report, the National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report was combined into a single report, the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report (QDR). The report measures and tracks trends in quality and disparities in seven key areas of health care: patient safety, person-centered care, care coordination, effective treatment, healthy living, care affordability, and access to health care. It also provides a comprehensive overview of the quality of health care received by the general population and disparities in care experienced by different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. National and State-level HCUP estimates included in the report are available on the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports Web site. For questions, please contact AHRQ User Support.

Coming this Fall: The 2014 National Inpatient Sample (NIS)

The 2014 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) is planned for release this fall. The NIS is the largest all-payer inpatient care database in the United States. The NIS contains charge information on all patients, regardless of payer, including persons covered by Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, and the uninsured. The NIS can be used by researchers and policymakers to identify, track, and analyze national trends in health care utilization, access, charges, quality, and outcomes. Its vast size enables analyses of infrequent conditions, uncommon treatments, and special patient populations.

The 2014 NIS will be available for purchase through the HCUP Central Distributor, and select statistics will be available on HCUPnet.

HCUP Job Opening: Social Science Analyst/Health Services Researcher

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is recruiting an experienced Social Science Analyst or Health Services Researcher to serve as a Staff Service Fellow on the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) team. The Staff Service Fellow will assist in managing tasks for creation of databases and tools for research and policy and conduct and oversee health research using HCUP and other data, as well develop analytical techniques; conduct special analyses and studies; and write, edit, and coordinate major reports.

The position is a two-year renewable Staff Service Fellow appointment, at the civil service equivalent of a GS 12 or 13, depending on qualifications and experience. For more information about the position or application procedures, please contact: Dawn.Hudson@ahrq.hhs.gov