Table 3. Data Elements in the NIS Inpatient Core Files, 1999*

Data element: AGE
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Age in years at admission

Data element: AGEDAY
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Age in days (coded only when the age in years is less than 1) at admission

Data element: AMONTH
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Admission month

Data element: ASOURCE
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Admission source: (1) ER, (2) another hospital, (3) another facility including long-term care, (4) court/law enforcement, (5) routine/birth/other

Data element: ASOURCE_X
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Admission source, as received from data source*

Data element: ATYPE
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Admission type: (1) emergency, (2) urgent, (3) elective, (4) newborn, (6) other

Data element: AWEEKEND
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Admission on weekend: (0) admission on Monday-Friday, (1) admission on Saturday-Sunday

Data element: DIED
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Indicates in-hospital death: (0) did not die during hospitalization, (1) died during hospitalization

Data element: DISCWT
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Discharge weight (on Core file and Hospital Weights file)

Data element: DISCWT10
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Discharge weight (on 10 percent subsample file)

Data element: DISPUB92
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Disposition of patient (discharge status), UB92 coding: (1) routine, (2) short term hospital, (3) skilled nursing facility, (4) intermediate care, (5) another type of facility, (6) home health care, (7) against medical advice, (8) home IV provider, (20) died in hospital, (40) died at home, (41) died in a medical facility, (42) died, place unknown, (50) Hospice, home, (51) Hospice, medical facility

Data element: DISPUniform
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Disposition of patient (discharge status), uniform coding: (1) routine, (2) transfer to short term hospital, (3) other transfers, including skilled nursing facility, intermediate care, and another type of facility, (6) home health care, (7) against medical advice, (20) died in hospital

Data element: DQTR
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Discharge quarter

Data element: DRG
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) in use on discharge date

Data element: DRG10
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): DRG Version 10 (effective October 1992 - November 1993)

Data element: DRG18
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): DRG Version 18 (effective October 2000 - November 2001)

Data element: DRGVER
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Grouper version in use on discharge date

Data element: DSHOSPID
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Hospital number as received from the data source

Data element: DX1-DX15
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Principal and secondary diagnoses

Data element: DXCCS1-DXCCS15
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Clinical Classifications Software (CCS) category for all diagnoses

Data element: FEMALE
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Gender of patient: (0) male, (1) female

Data element: HOSPID
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): HCUP hospital number (links to Hospital Weights file)

Data element: HOSPST
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): State postal code for hospital (e.g., AZ for Arizona)

Data element: HOSPSTCO
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Modified Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) State/county code for hospital, links to Area Resource File (available from the Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration)

Data element: KEY
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Unique record number

Data element: LOS
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Length of stay, edited

Data element: LOS_X
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Length of stay, as received from data source

Data element: MDC
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Major Diagnosis Category (MDC) in use on discharge date

Data element: MDC10
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): MDC Version 10 (October 1992 - November 1993)

Data element: MDC18
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): MDC Version 18 (effective October 2000 - November 2001)

Data element: MDID_S
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Synthetic attending physician number

Data element: NDX
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Number of diagnoses coded on the original record

Data element: NEOMAT
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Neonatal/maternal flag: (0) not maternal or neonatal, (1) maternal diagnosis or procedure, (2) neonatal diagnosis, (3) maternal and neonatal on same record

Data element: NPR
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Number of procedures coded on the original record

Data element: PAY1
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Expected primary payer, uniform: (1) Medicare, (2) Medicaid, (3) private including HMO, (4) self-pay, (5) no charge, (6) other

Data element: PAY1_X
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Expected primary payer, as received from the data source*

Data element: PAY2
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Expected secondary payer, uniform: (1) Medicare, (2) Medicaid, (3) private including HMO, (4) self-pay, (5) no charge, (6) other

Data element: PAY2_X
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Expected secondary payer, as received from the data source*

Data element: PR1-PR15
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Principal and secondary procedures

Data element: PRCCS1-PRCCS15
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Clinical Classifications Software (CCS) for all procedures

Data element: PRDAY1-PRDAY15
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): For each procedure, the number of days from admission

Data element: RACE
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Race includes (1) white, (2) black, (3) Hispanic, (4) Asian or Pacific Islander, (5) Native American, (6) other

Data element: SURGID
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Synthetic primary surgeon number

Data element: TOTCHG
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Total charges, edited

Data element: TOTCHG_X
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Total charges, as received from data source

Data element: YEAR
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Calendar year

Data element: ZIPINC
Description (numbers in brackets indicate variable coding): Median income for patient's ZIP Code: (1) $1-$24,999, (2) $25,000-$34,999, (3) $35,000-$44,999, (4) $45,000 and above