Limitations of Administrative Data for Studying Patients Hospitalized With Heart Failure
Authors: Ahmad Masri, Andrew D. Althouse, Jeffrey McKibben, Joon S. Lee, Suresh R. Mulukutla
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2017)

Letters20 June 2017Limitations of Administrative Data for Studying Patients Hospitalized With Heart FailureAhmad Masri, MD, Andrew D. Althouse, PhD, Jeffrey McKibben, BSBA, Joon S. Lee, MD, and Suresh R. Mulukutla, MDAhmad Masri, MDFrom University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, UPMC Health Services Division, and VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania., Andrew D. Althouse, PhDFrom University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, UPMC Health Services Division, and VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania., Jeffrey McKibben, BSBAFrom University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, UPMC Health Services Division, and VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania., Joon S. Lee, MDFrom University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, UPMC Health Services Division, and VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania., and Suresh R. Mulukutla, MDFrom University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, UPMC Health Services Division, and VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L17-0077 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Background: Investigators often use diagnosis codes in administrative databases to identify cohorts of patients, because these databases provide powerful sources of information for exploring epidemiologic trends, synthesizing hypotheses, and studying uncommon diseases ( 1). Some investigators assume that these codes are accurate, which may explain the inconsistent results between some studies.Objective: To determine whether the codes that hospitals assign to patients with heart failure change over time.Methods and Findings: We conducted a retrospective, observational study that included patients of all payers in our large, multisite health care system. We included only 1 encounter per patient. We identified each ...References1. HCUP Databases. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. March 2017. Rockville: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; March 2017. Accessed at www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/nisoverview.jsp on 16 March 2017. Google Scholar2. Goyal P, Almarzooq ZI, Horn EM, Karas MG, Sobol I, Swaminathan RV, et al. Characteristics of hospitalizations for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Am J Med. 2016;129:635. [PMID: 27215991] doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2016.02.007 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Anand V, Roy S, Koene R, Thenappan T. Trends in the hospitalizations for acute on chronic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in the United States from 2003 to 2013 [Abstract]. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2016;67:1464. CrossrefGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, UPMC Health Services Division, and VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Acknowledgment: The authors thank Drs. Michael Mathier and Oscar Marroquin for methodology and clinical analytics support.Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L17-0077.This article was published at Annals.org on 2 May 2017.This article was published at Annals.org on 2 May 2017. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byEpidemiologic Characterization of Heart Failure with Reduced or Preserved Ejection Fraction Populations Identified Using Medicare ClaimsRecent Trends in Hospitalizations for Cardiovascular Disease, Stroke, and Vascular Cognitive Impairment in CanadaDevelopment and Preliminary Validation of a Medicare Claims–Based Model to Predict Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction Class in Patients With Heart Failure 20 June 2017Volume 166, Issue 12Page: 916-917KeywordsDatabasesEchocardiographyEjection fractionEpidemiologyHealth careHeart failureInternational classification of diseases ninth revision clinical modificationLongitudinal studiesObservational studiesQuality improvement ePublished: 2 May 2017 Issue Published: 20 June 2017 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2017 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...