information for practice

Since its inception more than 40 years ago, the National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS) has been a principal source of information on inpatient utilization in short-stay, nonfederal hospitals in the United States. However, it is based on concepts of the health care delivery system and hospital and patient universe of previous decades. For the NHDS to remain relevant, it must reflect the types of care and services now offered in American hospitals. The National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asked RAND Health to assist in the first phase of the redesign effort by developing an approach for redesigning the survey and identifying, through a feasibility study, specific data elements to be included and field procedures to be used in that survey. New data elements recommended add clinical and financial depth and breadth, and the ability to link facility structure to process and outcomes of care. The survey also provides a structure for incorporating modules that can focus in detail on selected issues. This report documents the findings from this study and includes appendixes containing the names of people and institutions involved in the study and the forms and surveys used in the study and revised in light of the findings.