Source Files

The HCUP Colorado inpatient files were constructed from a combined inpatient and outpatient data file provided by the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA). The Colorado Hospital Association uses source variable patient type to distinguish between inpatient and outpatient data.

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

Colorado supplied discharge data from general/acute care hospitals, including swing beds and distinct part units.

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 2010.

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 CHA does not require hospitals to submit information from their skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and intermediate care facilities (ICFs), but no attempt has been made to verify this exclusion.

Exclusion of Records During HCUP Data Processing

Beginning in 1998, records with a discharge disposition of "still a patient" were excluded from the HCUP Colorado inpatient data. Prior to 1998, this disposition code was not used by Colorado.

Additional SID Notes

In 2016 through 2019, the number of neonatal records is significantly lower than the number of maternal records. It is estimated that the 2016 Colorado SID is missing roughly 14 percent of births, the 2017 SID is missing about 18 percent of births, the 2018 SID is missing about 21% of births, and the 2019 SID is missing about 22% of births, which are largely attributed to mothers with a primary expected payer (PAY1) of Medicaid.