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Central Distributor SEDD: Description of Data Elements

 
ZIP - Patient Zip Code
 
Documentation Sections:
General Notes
Uniform Values
State Specific Notes
General Notes
 

The patient's zip code (ZIP) is retained as provided by the data source with the following exceptions:

  • Foreign zip codes are recoded to indicate Canadian, Mexican, and other or unspecified foreign zip codes.
  • Invalid zip codes are identified (ZIP = "A"). In the 1988-1992 HCUP databases, the zip code is validated against a composite list of zip codes valid as of December 1987, 1990, and 1992. Beginning in the 1993 HCUP databases, the zip code is required only to be numeric.
  • The zip code for homeless patients is set to missing (ZIP = " ") in the 1988-1999 HCUP databases. Beginning in the 2000 HCUP databases, ZIP is set to "H".
 
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Uniform Values
 
VariableDescriptionValueValue Description
ZIPPatient Zip CodennnnnZip codes
CCanada
MMexico
FOther or unspecified foreign
HHomeless (beginning with 2000 data)
BlankMissing
AInvalid
BUnavailable from source (coded 1988-1997 data only)
 
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State Specific Notes

Arizona

Beginning in 2008, Arizona no longer captures foreign resident status in ZIP Code. This information is retained in the data element Patient Country. During processing, we use Patient Country to recode the ZIP Code field. Canadian residents are coded to "Canada" (ZIP="C"), Mexican residents are coded to "Mexico" (ZIP="M"), and all other valid Patient Country codes are mapped to "Foreign" (ZIP="F").

Through 2007, Arizona codes a five-digit abbreviation for the country of foreign residents. Canadian residents are coded to "Canada" (ZIP="C"), Mexican residents are coded to "Mexico" (ZIP="M"), and all others are coded to "Foreign" (ZIP="F").



California

California does not separately classify Canadian, Mexican, or other foreign zip codes.



District of Columbia

District of Columbia uses only one category for all foreign zip codes, including Canada and Mexico. These are assigned to the HCUP category for Other/Unspecified Foreign (ZIP = "F").



Florida

Beginning in 2010, the data element "Patient Country" is used to determine Canadian, Mexican, and other or unspecified foreign zip codes. A single "Foreign Country" category which includes Canada and Mexico is used when "Patient Country" is missing.

Florida provides the five (5) digit US postal service zip code of the patients' permanent residence and the three other categories, "Foreign residences", "Homeless patients", and "If unavailable". During HCUP processing, "Foreign residences" was assigned to the uniform category for "Foreign" (ZIP_S = "F"), and "Homeless patients" was assigned to the uniform category for "Homeless" (ZIP_S = "H").



Indiana

Indiana classifies foreign ZIP Codes as a group and does not separately distinguish Canadian or Mexican ZIP Codes.



Iowa

Iowa does not code foreign zip codes. Any non-U.S. zip codes would appear as missing (' ') or invalid ('A').



Kentucky

Kentucky uses only one category for all foreign zip codes, including Canada and Mexico. These are assigned to the HCUP category for Other/Unspecified Foreign (ZIP = "F").



Maryland

As of July 17, 2019, skinny files containing the patient's ZIP Code (HCUP data element ZIP) are available for data years 2008 through 2017. Users can link the year-specific skinny ZIP Code files to the same year Core file by using data elements YEAR and KEY. Starting in data year 2018, the data element ZIP is stored on the Core file.

Beginning in 2013, Maryland reports a separate zip code category for homeless patients which was assigned to the HCUP category for Homeless (ZIP="H").

Maryland reported a separate category for "foreign" zip codes which includes Canadian and Mexican zip codes. During HCUP processing, foreign zip codes were assigned to the category "Other/Unspecified Foreign" (ZIP = F).



Michigan

Michigan reports four separate ZIP Code categories for Canadian residents Sault Ste. Marie, Sarnia, Windsor, and "All other Canada".



Minnesota

Beginning in 2016, Minnesota separately classifies Canada zip codes from other foreign zip codes. Prior to 2016, Minnesota used only one category for all foreign zip codes, including Canada and Mexico. These are assigned to the HCUP category for Other/Unspecified Foreign (ZIP = "F").



Missouri

Missouri reports all Canadian, Mexican, and other foreign zip codes as a single category. These codes were assigned to the uniform category "Other/Unspecified Foreign" (ZIP = F).

Missouri reports a separate zip code category for homeless patients. Prior to 2002, processing, this zip code is recoded as missing (ZIP = blank). Beginning in 2002, this zip code is recoded to Homeless (ZIP = H).



Nebraska

Nebraska does not separately classify Canadian, Mexican, or other foreign zip codes.



New Jersey

Beginning in 2008, C(Canada), M(Mexico), F(Other or unspecified foreign) were assigned from patient country codes during the HCUP processing.

New Jersey does not report foreign, homeless, Canadian or Mexican zip postal codes. In the source data, these ZIP codes are blank. During HCUP processing, blank values were assigned to missing (" ").



New York

Beginning in 2016, HCUP stopped assigning F (Foreign) and H (Homeless) using the Flag_Res variable. H(Homeless) will no longer be a value assigned under zip.

New York separately classifies Canadian, but not Mexican zip codes. Mexican zip codes are included in the HCUP category for Other/Unspecified Foreign (ZIP_S = "F").

Beginning in 2008, for HIV/AIDS records in New York, the last two digits of the zip code is blank if the population is greater than 20,000. If the population is 20,000 or less, the entire zip code is blank.



North Carolina

North Carolina does not separately classify Canadian, Mexican, or other foreign zip codes.



Oregon

Prior to 2017, Oregon reports foreign, Canadian, or Mexican zip codes as "missing" or "invalid" ZIP code values. These are assigned to the HCUP category for missing (ZIP = blank) or invalid (ZIP = .A).

Starting in 2017, Oregon reports foreign zip codes. However, Oregon does not separately classify Canadian or Mexican zip codes. Foreign zip codes are assigned to the HCUP category for Foreign (ZIP = "F").



South Dakota

South Dakota does not separately classify Canadian, Mexican, or other foreign zip codes.



Utah

Utah uses only one category for all foreign zip codes, including Canada and Mexico. These are assigned to the HCUP category for Other/Unspecified Foreign (ZIP = "F"). Beginning 2015, Utah no longer reports homeless patients in a zip code category. Homeless patients are identified by condition code value 17.

Through the 2002 data year, Utah masks zip codes under the following conditions:

  • Patients in Utah or non-Utah zip codes with less than 30 discharges in a calendar year,
  • Patients with the Major Diagnosis Code of "Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection" (value 25), and
  • Diagnosis Related Groups "Alcohol/Drug Abuse or Dependence" (values 433-437).

During HCUP processing, the masked zip code is recoded as missing (ZIP = blank).

Utah reports a zip code category for homeless patients. Beginning in 2000, this zip code was assigned to the HCUP category for Homeless (ZIP = "H"). Prior to 2000, this zip code was recoded to blank (ZIP = " ").

Beginning with the 2015 data, the HCUP data element ZIP is set to missing (.) in the Central Distributor SEDD for records involving substance abuse or HIV infection. This was done at the request of the Utah Partner organization.



Vermont

Canadian residents are coded to "Canada" (ZIP="C") and all other foreign discharges are coded to "Foreign" (ZIP="F"). Homeless patients are not identified.



Wisconsin

Wisconsin uses only one category for all foreign zip codes, including Canada and Mexico. These are assigned to the HCUP category for Other/Unspecified Foreign (ZIP = "F").


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Internet Citation: HCUP Central Distributor SEDD Description of Data Elements - All States. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). October 2024. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/db/vars/sedddistnote.jsp?var=zip.
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Last modified 10/16/24