Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD) 2019 Corrections

If you obtained a copy of the 2019 NRD prior to December 1, 2022, we recommend using the following information to correct the assignment of two related data elements (affecting about nine percent of the records):

PCLASS_ORPROC indicating at least one operating room ICD-10-PCS procedure is included on the discharge record
PCLASS2-PCLASS25 for the Procedure Classes Refined for ICD-10-PCS identifying secondary ICD-10-PCS codes as major or minor, diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.

Incorrect Assignment of PCLASS_ORPROC and PCLASS1-PCLASS25

The data element PCLASS_ORPROC should indicate whether there is at least one major diagnostic or therapeutic ICD-10-PCS procedure code on the discharge record. This is determined by the information included in the array of data elements PCLASS1-PCLASS25 for the Procedure Classes Refined for ICD-10-PCS included in the DX_PR_GRPS file. Unfortunately, the assignment of PCLASS does not always match the corresponding secondary ICD-10-PCS procedure code (I10PR2-I10PR25) and PCLASS_ORPROC can be incorrect.

Two Options to Fix the Assignment of PCLASS_ORPROC

One option is to apply the Procedure Classes Refined for ICD-10-PCS software tool on your copy of the 2019 NRD. The tool is available free of charge from the HCUP User Support (HCUP-US) website at https://hcup-us.ahrq.gov/toolssoftware/procedure/procedure.jsp.

You can choose to use the latest version of the tool (v2023.1) or the version previously used for the 2019 NRD (v2021.2). The software tool will use the 25 ICD-10-PCS codes (data elements I10_PR1-I10_PR25) on the 2019 NRD to assign PCLASS1-PCLASS25 and PLACSS_ORPROC. Instructions for applying the software tool to your data are available in the User Guide.

The second option is to request replacement data for the 2019 NRD. Please note that AHRQ is preparing to transition the online HCUP Central Distributor to a new system. It is expected that the site will be inaccessible for a period of time and order fulfillment will be delayed.

If you have any questions, please contact the HCUP Central Distributor (866-556-4287 toll-free or HCUP@ahrq.gov).