In 2007, AHRQ funded three Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Partner Pilot Projects and one Planning Project to build upon the value of the newly collected POA indicator in administrative data sets and to explore the benefits of adding specific laboratory values. These projects built on work sponsored by AHRQ that assessed the incremental value of adding particular clinical data elements:

• Enhancement of Claims Data to Improve Risk Adjustment of Hospital Mortality (Pine et al, 2007 Journal of the American Medical Association)



• Combining Administrative and Clinical Data to Stratify Surgical Risk (Fry et al, 2007 Annals of Surgery)



• Cost-Effective Enhancement of Claims Data to Improve Comparisons of Patient Safety (Harmon et al, 2007 Journal of Patient Safety)

Three HCUP Partners – from the states of Florida, Minnesota, and Virginia – conducted a two-year, in-depth pilot to add or link hospital clinical information to administrative (discharge abstract or claims) data. Washington was awarded a planning contract to evaluate enhancing its administrative datasets with more clinical data. The findings from these projects have been collected in a guidance document that will inform other data organizations about lessons learned in creating enhanced administrative databases.

• Project Information: Overview (PDF file, 3.7 MB; HTML) presentation of the scope, purpose, and activities of the project and the summary of completed project activities in Enhancing Clinical Information in Statewide Hospital Administrative Data: Project Summary and Lessons Learned.



• Pilot and Planning States: State specific project information for Florida, Minnesota, Virginia and Washington.



• Final Reports: Summary information on the project outcomes for Florida (PDF File, 705 KB; HTML), Minnesota (PDF File, 175 KB; HTML), Virginia (PDF File, 2.1 MB; HTML) and planning results for Washington (PDF file, 240 KB; HTML).

Individual State websites for Adding Clinical Data Pilot projects: Florida, Minnesota, Virginia.