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Research Spotlights
More than 1,000 peer-reviewed journal publications feature data, software products, and tools from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP).
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Research Spotlights

More than 1,000 peer-reviewed journal publications feature data, software products, and tools from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). Often, this research impacts healthcare policy, practice, and future research. Here are a few recent examples:

To view previous examples of research spotlights, please refer to the Research Spotlights Archives
Pneumonia hospitalizations among young children before and after introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine—United States, 1997-2006.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2009 Jan 16;58(1):1-4.
    This analysis uses the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) to monitor pneumonia hospitalizations among young children in an effort to gauge the effect of a 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) that was recommended for use in infants and children in February 2000.

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Impact of the aging population on the demand for colorectal procedures.
Etzioni DA, Beart RW Jr, Madoff RD, Ault GT.
Diseases of the Colon & Rectum 2009 Apr;52(4):583-90.
    Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) and the Florida State Ambulatory Surgery Database (SASD), this study identifies commonly performed inpatient and outpatient colorectal procedures, as well as associated diagnoses, and combines this information with census projections to generate projected volumes for the selected procedures and diagnoses.

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Hospital utilization and costs among children with influenza, 2003.
Hassan F, Lewis TC, Davis MM, Gebremariam A, Dombkowski K.
American Journal of Preventative Medicine.2009 Apr;36(4):292-6.
    This retrospective analysis uses the Kids’ Inpatient Database (KID) to characterize the national burden of influenza hospitalizations and to evaluate how hospital costs and length of stay varied among children diagnosed with influenza after the augmented 2002 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices influenza vaccination recommendations.

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Recent trends in bariatric surgery case volume in the United States.
Kohn GP, Galanko JA, Overby DW, Farrell TM.
Surgery.2009 Aug;146(2):375-80.
    This study uses the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) to examine recent trends in bariatric surgery in the United States, and investigates the relationship between volume trends and recent program accreditation and remuneration algorithms.

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Econometric modeling of health care costs and expenditures: a survey of analytical issues and related policy considerations.
Mullahy J.
Medical Care. 2009 Jul;47(7 Suppl 1):S104-8.
    This study uses hospital charge data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) to illustrate important conceptual and analytical issues involved in econometric healthcare cost modeling.

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Demographic variability, vaccination, and the spatiotemporal dynamics of rotavirus epidemics.
Pitzer V, Viboud C, Simonsen L, Steiner C, Panozzo C, Alonso W, Miller M, Glass R, Glasser J, Parashar U, Grenfell B.
Science. 2009 Jul 17;325(5938):290-4.
    Using the State Inpatient Databases (SID) from 16 states, researchers developed an age- and state-stratified transmission model for rotavirus to test whether the spatiotemporal signature of epidemics could be generated by geographic variability in birth rate.

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Weekend emergency department visits in Nebraska: higher utilization, lower acuity.
Schoenfeld EM, McKay MP.
Journal of Emergency Medicine.Epub 2009 Feb 19. (Epub ahead of print)
    This study uses the Nebraska State Emergency Department Database (SEDD) and State Inpatient Database (SID) to compare patterns of ED use on weekends with weekdays and analyze the differences between these two groups to elucidate the role of the ED in the health care delivery system.

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Use of emergency departments for conditions related to poor oral healthcare: implications for rural and low-resource urban areas for three states.
Shortridge EF Moore JR.
Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. 2009 May-Jun;15(3):238-45.
    This study uses the State Emergency Department Databases (SEDD) from three states to investigate the use of emergency departments (EDs) for problems that might have been prevented given adequate oral healthcare.

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Disparities in the use of ambulatory surgical centers: A cross sectional study.
Strope SA, Sarma A, Ye S, Wei JT, Hollenbeck BK.
BMC Health Services Research. 2009 Jul;9(121):1-7.
    Using the Florida State Ambulatory Surgery Database (SASD), this study evaluates the relationship between socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and the use of ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs).

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Effects of childhood obesity on hospital care and costs, 1999-2005.
Trasande L, Liu Y, Fryer G, Weitzman M.
Health Affairs. 2009 Jul-Aug;28(4):w751-60. Epub 2009 Jul 9.
    This study uses the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) to evaluate trends in obesity-associated hospitalizations, charges, and costs among children.

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A comprehensive list of publications based on HCUP data are available within the HCUP section of the AHRQ Web site. Publications are listed by author. Information includes title, publication, data, and sometimes access to an abstract.
Internet Citation: Research Spotlights. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). November 2009. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/spotlights.jsp.
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Last modified 11/5/09