The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announces the release of HCUP Facts and Figures: Statistics on Hospital-Based Care in the United States, 2006 , available online at the HCUP-US Website. This report presents data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database on hospital care in 2006, as well as trends in care from 1993 to 2006.

The HCUP Facts and Figures report showcases the wealth of statistics available from the HCUP NIS database. It features an overview of numerous hospital-related topics including general characteristics of U.S. hospitals and the patients being treated; the most common diagnoses, conditions, and procedures associated with inpatient stays; the costs and charges associated with hospitalizations; and a special section on selected priority health conditions designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Highlights of hospital care in 2006 include the finding that six of the 20 most costly conditions associated with hospitalizations were related to the circulatory system. Though these stays accounted for 18 percent of all hospitalization costs–with three diagnoses (coronary artery disease, heart attack, and congestive heart failure) among the most costly in 2006–the growth in costs for these conditions has slowed dramatically since 2003. Examples of trend information presented in the report include findings that, between 1993 and 2006, the total number of Cesarean sections grew nearly 69 percent, while vaginal births remained steady. Maternal complications including hypertension, diabetes, and anemia increased for pregnant women regardless of whether they were undergoing C–sections or vaginal deliveries, but were more common in women who had C–sections. Infant complications also increased during this period, including respiratory problems, "infant of a diabetic mother" syndrome, jaundice, and feeding problems, and were also more common in babies delivered via C–section than vaginally.

HCUP Facts and Figures: Statistics on Hospital-Based Care in the United States, 2006 is located on the Reports page of the HCUP-US Website. For more information, please visit the HCUP-US Website, or contact HCUP User Support at hcup@ahrq.gov.