Diagnosis and Procedure Combinations in Hospital Inpatient Data

Below is a summary of HCUP-3 Research Note 3 (AHCPR Pub. No. 96-0047), which is available from the AHCPR Publications Clearinghouse. Call toll free 800-358-9295.

Overview

This publication contains information on the most frequent combinations of diagnoses and procedures for hospital inpatients in 1992. It helps to answer the questions "What is this procedure used for?" and "How is this diagnosis managed?" For each of the top 100 principal inpatient procedures, the 5 most frequently listed principal diagnoses are given. Similarly, for the top 100 principal diagnoses, the 5 most frequently listed principal procedures are given. Resource use (median charges and length of stay), along with estimates of standard errors, are given for each diagnosis-procedure combination. Diagnoses and procedures are classified according to Version 2 of the Clinical Classifications for Health Policy Research, a categorization scheme that aggregates diagnoses and procedures into clinically meaningful categories.

Source of Data

The statistics given in this report are based on data on hospital inpatient stays from the 1992 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), a component of AHCPR's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP-3). The NIS is designed to approximate a 20-percent sample of U.S. community hospitals and contains records for all stays in the sampled hospitals. The 1992 NIS includes hospitals in 11 States.

Highlights

Examples of findings from this publication include:

• More than one-quarter of all cesarean sections are performed for a principal diagnosis of previous C-section.
• Charges for amputation of the lower extremity vary from $14,930 for diabetes mellitus with complication to $28,499 for aortic and peripheral arterial embolism or thrombosis.
• Inpatients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who have percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty as the principal procedure have median charges of $20,237, compared with $47,244 for AMI inpatients with coronary artery bypass graft.
• Approximately half of all patients with cancer of the prostate received open prostatectomy, while 29 percent received transurethral resection of the prostate.

How Can This Information Be Used?

The information in this publication can be used in research on uses of procedures and management of diagnoses, such as:

• Examining the variety of diagnoses for which a particular procedure is performed.
• Comparing and contrasting the lengths of stay and charges among the top five diagnoses for each procedure.
• Comparing resource use among the top five procedures for each diagnosis.
• Examining the variations in treatment for particular diagnoses.

More Diagnosis-Procedure Information

Most Frequent Diagnoses and Procedures for DRGs, by Insurance Status contains information on the most frequent diagnoses and procedures for the top 50 diagnosis-related groups in U.S. community hospitals. The analysis is based on data from the 1992 NIS.

For More Information About the NIS

Contact:

Agency for Health Care Policy and Research
Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project
540 Gaither Road, Suite 5000
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: 866-290-HCUP (4287), toll-free
E-mail: hcup@ahrq.gov

Current as of November 1998

Internet Citation:

Diagnosis and Procedure Combinations in Hospital Inpatient Data. Abstract of Research Note 3, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP-3). Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Rockville, MD. http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/natstats/rn3.htm

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