Source Files

The HCUP Nebraska inpatient files were constructed from confidential files from the Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA). The NHA acts as a hospital-controlled agent (central repository) for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating hospital data in the Nebraska Hospital Information System (NHIS).

The Nebraska Hospital Association prohibits the release of discharge records for patients with HIV diagnoses. These discharges were not included in the source file provided to HCUP and are therefore not included in the HCUP files.

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

Nebraska provided discharge abstract data from community hospitals that participate in the Nebraska Hospital Association Health Information System (NHIS).

A comparison of the number of hospitals included in the SID and the number of hospitals reported in the AHA Annual Survey is available starting in data year 2014.

Hospitals do not always report data for a full calendar year. Some hospitals open or close during the year; other hospitals have technical problems that prevent them from reporting data for all months in a year.

Inclusion of Stays in Special Units

The documentation supplied by Nebraska does not indicate whether information on stays in special units (e.g., psychiatric, rehabilitation, long-term care) within the hospital is included in the data.

Exclusion of Records During HCUP Data Processing

Records with a discharge disposition of "still a patient" and "admitted as an inpatient" were excluded from the HCUP Nebraska inpatient data.