Vital and Health Statistics: 1999 National Hospital Discharge Survey: Annual Summary with Detailed Diagnosis and Procedure Data

OBJECTIVES: This report presents 1999 national estimates and selected trend data on the use of non-Federal short-stay hospitals in the United States. Estimates are provided by demographic characteristics of patients discharged, geographic region, ownership, and bed size of hospitals, principal expected source of payment, conditions diagnosed, and surgical and nonsurgical procedures performed. Measurements of hospital use include number and rate of discharges and days of care, and the average length of stay. Estimates of first-listed diagnoses, days of care, all-listed diagnoses, and all-listed procedures are presented according to their code number in the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM). METHODS: The estimates are based on data collected through the National Hospital Discharge Survey. The survey has been conducted annually by the National Center for Health Statistics since 1965. In 1999 data were collected for approximately 300,000 discharges. Of the 487 eligible non-Federal short-stay hospitals in the sample, 458 (94 percent) responded to the survey. RESULTS: An estimated 32.1 million inpatients were discharged from non-Federal short-stay hospitals in 1999. These patients used an estimated 160.1 million days of care. Patients 65 years of age and over accounted for 40 percent of discharges and used 48 percent of days of care. More than half of all patients under age 65 in 1999 had a principal expected source of payment from a private source. Patients discharged from nonprofit hospitals accounted for nearly 78 percent of all discharges. Heart disease accounted for 4.5 million discharges, and deliveries made up 3.8 million discharges. An estimated 3.7 million newborn infants were discharged from short-stay hospitals after average stays of 3.2 days.