DISCWT is the discharge-level weight on the HCUP nationwide databases - Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS), Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD), Nationwide Ambulatory Surgery Sample (NASS), and Kids' Inpatient Database (KID). To produce national estimates, use DISCWT to weight discharges in the Core file (or the NASS Encounter file) to the discharges from community hospitals located in the U.S.

Discharge weights vary in the NIS and KID as indicated below:

• From 2001 on, DISCWT should be used to create all national estimates, including total charge.
• In the 2000 NIS and KID, there are two discharge-level weights (DISCWT and DISCWTcharge). DISCWT should be used to create national estimates for all analyses except those that involve total charge. DISCWTcharge should be used to create national estimates of total charge.
• In the 1998-1999 NIS, DISCWT should be used to create all national estimates, including total charge.
• Prior to 1998, the discharge weight was named DISCWT_U.

For detailed information about the development and use of discharge and hospital weights, see the year-specific Introduction report on the HCUP database of interest.