The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announces the release of the 2009 Cost-to-Charge Ratio (CCR) Files for use with selected databases available from the Agency's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). The data elements on these files can be merged with the 2009 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), the Kids' Inpatient Database (KID) and State Inpatient Databases (SID), disseminated through the HCUP Central Distributor. Using the merged data elements from the CCR files and the total charges reported in the NIS, KID, or SID databases, users may convert the hospital total charge data to cost estimates by simply multiplying total charges with the appropriate cost-to-charge ratio.

The 2009 NIS, KID, and SID contain uniformly formatted data built around a core set of more than 100 clinical and non-clinical variables for all patient encounters, regardless of payer (i.e., Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, and self-pay). The HCUP databases are limited to information on total hospital charges, which reflect the amount billed to the payer per patient encounter. Total charges do not reflect the actual cost of providing care or the payment received by the hospital for services provided. HCUP data users can convert this total charge data into cost estimates by using the CCR files, which include hospital-wide values of the all-payer inpatient cost-to-charge ratio for nearly every hospital in the corresponding database. Researchers and policy makers can use the converted cost estimates to examine a variety of topics, including use and cost of hospital services, healthcare cost inflation, and how the cost experiences of a given hospital or health plan compare with national or state trends.

The Cost-to-Charge Ratio files can be ordered free-of-charge from the HCUP Central Distributor. For more information, please contact the Central Distributor at HCUPDistributor@ahrq.gov.