NHCS Survey Overview Flyer

Attachment E - NHCS Overview Flyer

Survey Overview
About the National Hospital Care Survey
The National Hospital Care Survey (NHCS), conducted by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics, collects data on patient care
in hospital-based settings to describe patterns of health care delivery and use in the United
States.
NHCS hospital-based settings include inpatient and emergency departments—places like
your hospital. By participating in NHCS, you can help the National Center for Health Statistics
raise awareness about key health insights, guide policy, and improve public health.

Your Hospital is Vital
Your hospital was randomly chosen to provide representative data for itself and for similar
hospitals of the same service type, bed size, and geographic location.
Your participation in NHCS is critical, because without your involvement, your hospital, and
other similar hospitals, will not be represented in the national description of care provided by
hospitals. The success of our study depends on the willingness of healthcare professionals
like you to provide information on current healthcare services in the United States.

Benefits of Participation
Make a Difference
Your data will contribute to addressing public health issues that will lead to better health care
for all. Help us transform patient data into public health action.
Community Benefit
Nonprofit hospitals participating in NHCS may be eligible for a tax exemption. For more
information about this benefit, please visit: www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhcs/community_benefit.htm.
Access to the Annual Hospital Report Portal
The Annual Hospital Report is an interactive web-based portal that will provide reports on data
you have submitted, including post-hospital discharge mortality information from your hospital’s
data linked to the National Death Index.
Compensation
Participating hospitals will receive $500 for set up and $500 either for each year of participation
or for every 12 months of data submitted.
Access to the National Health Care Surveys Registry
NHCS is working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Electronic
Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs: Promoting Interoperability (formerly known as
Meaningful Use), and the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). Registration is free
of charge and available at: www.cdc.gov/nchs/dhcs/nhcs_registry_landing.htm.

Attachment E - NHCS Overview Flyer

Participation Process
Participation in NHCS involves the following:

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A brief interview to determine eligibility.
Electronic submission of all inpatient discharges
and emergency department visits from your
EHR system or your Uniform Bill (UB04)
administrative claims or a similar state file.
Completion of a brief, online Annual Hospital
Interview consisting of summary administrative
data.

Please note that participation is voluntary and there are
no penalties for not participating.

Sponsorship & Purpose
This project is sponsored by the National Center for
Health Statistics which is mandated by Congress to
address a full spectrum of health concerns, from birth
to death. Our mission supports the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services to provide statistical
information that will guide actions and policies to
improve the health of the American people. As the
nation’s principal health statistics agency, the National
Center for Health Statistics leads the way with accurate,
relevant, and timely data through programs like NHCS.
NHCS aims to understand the population’s health and
health outcomes in the following ways:

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Provides nationally representative, accurate,
and reliable healthcare data for hospital-based
settings.
Answers key questions of interest to healthcare
professionals, researchers, and policy makers
about quality, use of resources, and disparities
of services to population subgroups.
Addresses both acute and chronic illnesses and
respond to public health emergencies.

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Monitors national trends in substance userelated emergency department visits, including
opioid visits.

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Provides data that links episodes of care across
hospital units, as well as other data sources
such as the National Death Index (NDI).

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Contributes to a stronger public health
foundation that helps address current and future
public health threats.

Confidentiality & Data
Safeguarding
We will not release the name of your hospital to anyone,
nor will we release any data that could identify your
hospital or patients. Any data released in a public use
file will only include de-identified data.
The National Center for Health Statistics and its
agents take the security and confidentiality of the data
we collect very seriously. Strict laws prevent us from
releasing information that could identify you without
your consent. The following federal laws require that all
information National Center for Health Statistics collects
be held in strict confidence:

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Section 308(d) of the Public Health Services Act
[42 United States Code 242m (d)]

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Section 3572 of the Confidential Information
Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (Pub. L.
No. 115-435, 132 Stat. 5529 § 302]

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act (HIPAA) of 1996 (Public Law 104–191) permits
disclosure of protected health information without patient
authorization for public health purposes.
The Ethics Review Board at the National Center for
Health Statistics has reviewed and approved all aspects
of this study.

Contact Information
Kathy Chimes, Project Director
Westat
[email protected]
301–251–4302
Geoffrey Jackson, Team Leader
Hospital Care Team, CDC, NCHS
[email protected]
301–458–4703

CS339853

For more information on the National Hospital Care Survey, visit: www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhcs.htm