Overview
Dataset Summary
The National Readmission Database (NRD), part of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), is an administrative dataset containing all non-federal hospital discharges from a nationally representative sample of U.S. states for a single calendar year.
Unlike the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), the NRD includes verified patient linkage numbers that allow tracking of individuals across hospitals within a state during a given year. This feature enables analyses of readmissions following an index hospitalization, including timing and patterns of rehospitalization.
Caveats
- Data are limited to a single calendar year per file; longitudinal analyses across years require additional considerations.
- Hospitals are de-identified, preventing linkage to external hospital-level datasets (e.g., American Hospital Association data).
- Includes only non-federal hospitals.
- Administrative coding may be subject to misclassification or variation in coding practices.
Examples of Outcomes Examined
- 30-day readmission rates after index admissions
- Readmission to the same versus different hospitals
- Timing and frequency of repeat hospitalizations
- Diagnosis-specific readmission patterns
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