Source Files

The HCUP Colorado emergency department (ED) files were constructed from a combined inpatient and outpatient data file provided by the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA). The Colorado Hospital Association uses place of service type to distinguish between the type of outpatient record.

Selection of Records for Inclusion in the SEDD

All records identified by Colorado as ED are included in the SEDD (HCUP data element STATE_ED=1 based on place of service type 1 [Emergency Room]).

Additionally, any other records with evidence of ED services that are flagged by the variable HCUP_ED (i.e., HCUP_ED>0) during HCUP processing are included in the SEDD.

If a record in the SASD also has evidence of ED services based on the HCUP criteria (HCUP data element HCUP_ED not equal to 0), then the SASD record is also included in the SEDD. These records will have the same value for the HCUP data element KEY.

Types of Facilities Included in the Files Provided to HCUP by the Partner

The Colorado Hospital Association provides HCUP with ED data from licensed hospital-owned EDs in the State.

A comparison of the number of hospitals included in the SEDD and the number of hospitals reported in the AHA Annual Survey is available starting in data year 2017.

Hospital-owned EDs do not always report data for a full calendar year. Some open or close during the year; others have technical problems that prevent them from reporting data for all months in a year.