Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) User Support (HCUP-US)

Mission

The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP, pronounced "H-Cup") is a family of health care databases and related software tools and products developed through a Federal-State-Industry partnership and sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

HCUP's objectives are to:

• Create and enhance a powerful source of national, State, and all-payer health care data.
• Produce a broad set of software tools and products to facilitate the use of HCUP and other administrative data.
• Enrich a collaborative partnership with statewide data organizations aimed at increasing the quality and use of health care data.
• Conduct and translate research to inform decisionmaking and improve health care delivery.

Visit the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) web site.

Relevance

HCUP databases bring together the data collection efforts of State data organizations, hospital associations, private data organizations, and the Federal government to create a national information resource of encounter-level health care data. HCUP includes the largest collection of longitudinal hospital care data in the United States, with all-payer, encounter-level information beginning in 1988. These databases enable research on a broad range of health policy issues, including cost and quality of health services, medical practice patterns, access to health care programs, and outcomes of treatments at the national, State, and local market levels.

Products

HCUP products include State and nationwide databases, software and online tools, and reports.

• HCUP Databases contain information on inpatient stays, emergency department visits, and ambulatory care.
• HCUPnet is HCUP's free, online query system that provides immediate access to health statistics.
• HCUP Tools & Software provide complimentary tools and software to use with HCUP and similar databases.
• HCUP Reports feature findings, publications, and technical reports on HCUP issues.

Audiences

Health professionals, researchers, students, and the general public.

Partners

HCUP would not be possible without the statewide data collection projects that provide data to HCUP.