The HCUP Florida inpatient files were constructed from the Florida Hospital Discharge Data Confidential Information received from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.

The Florida confidential files consist of discharge abstract data from non-federal Florida hospitals. Although Florida did not routinely collect data from long-stay or rehabilitation hospitals, some were present in their data. Until an administrative change in 1993, Florida continued to collect data from any facility that had previously reported to them regardless of changes in status. Beginning in 1997, Florida reported data for psychiatric hospitals that were not previously included in the Florida files. Florida also reported some acute care and nursing home units separately from their major facility. See the Florida note under DSHOSPID for specific details.

Not all hospitals report a full calendar year of data. Some hospitals close during the year; other hospitals have technical problems that prevent them from reporting a full year.

Inpatient stays in special units (e.g., psychiatric, rehabilitation, long-term care) may be included in the HCUP Florida inpatient data. Florida instructs hospitals to submit records only for stays in acute facilities and to exclude records from special units, but according to Florida AHCA, not all hospitals follow these instructions.

Community Hospital Excluded from HCUP Florida SID.. Even though the AHA Annual Survey classified Vencor Hospital-Fort Lauderdale hospital as a community hospital in 1987-1991, all data from that hospital were excluded from the 1990-1991 HCUP Florida SID.

The 1987 AHA data for this hospital were obtained from a survey response; for 1988-1991, the hospital was a non-reporter to the AHA survey and, as a result, its community hospital status was imputed. Data for Vencor Hospital-Fort Lauderdale were included in the 1988-1989 HCUP SID. A review of this hospital's 1990-1991 inpatient data suggested a conversion to a long-term hospital. This was confirmed by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, which indicated that the hospital changed from short- to long-stay and began specializing in rehabilitation services during 1989. On this basis, Vencor Hospital-Fort Lauderdale hospital was excluded from the 1990-1991 HCUP SID.

Vencor Hospital-Fort Lauderdale can be identified by DSHOSPID 100120, AHA ID 399040, or HOSPID 12245.

Beginning in 1992, the AHA Annual Survey correctly identifies this hospital as a non-community hospital.