MEPS HC-026D: 1998 Hospital Inpatient Stays File

Update #3, 12/13/02

The data user/analyst should note that the variable SURGPROC on the 1996 to 1999 Hospital Inpatient Stays event files is a different variable from the one with the same name on the 1996 to 1999 Emergency Room Visits, Office-Based Medical Provider Visits, and Outpatient Visits event files. This is indicated by the different labels and formatted values for these variables, which are as follows.

On the Hospital Inpatient Stays file:

SURGPROC has label = MAIN SURGICAL PROCEDURE, and these formatted values:

1 =  APPENDECTOMY
2 =  ARTHROSCOPIC SURGERY (VISUAL OF JOINTS
3 =  CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION
4 =  CATARACT SURGERY
5 =  CIRCUMCISION
6 =  CORONARY BYPASS
7 =   D AND C (DILATION AND CURETTAGE)
8 =   DENTAL SURGERY 3 33,266
9 =   GALLBLADDER SURGERY (CHOLECYSTECTOMY
10 = HERNIA REPAIR
11 = HYSTERECTOMY
12 = JOINT (HIP/KNEE) REPLACEMENT SURGERY
13 = MASTECTOMY/LUMPECTOMY
14 = PACEMAKER INSERTION
15 = PLASTIC/RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY
16 = PROSTATE SURGERY (PROSTATECTOMY)
17 = SPINAL DISC SURGERY (SLIPPED/PROLAPSED)
18 = SURGICAL SETTING OF BROKEN BONE
19 = THYROID SURGERY (THYROIDECTOMY)
20 = TISSUE BIOPSY
21 = TONSILLECTOMY
91 = OTHER

On the Emergency Room Visits, Office-Based Medical Provider Visits, and Outpatient Visits event files:

SURGPROC has label = WAS SURG PROC PERFORMED ON P THIS VISIT, and formatted values: 1 = YES
2 = NO

NOTE: For the year 2000 set of event files, the variable SURGPROC will be renamed to MAINSURG on the Hospital Inpatient Stays File.

Update #3, 12/13/02

The Files 1 and 2 were updated on 02/11/02, to correct for the following errors:

• Files 1 and 2 were updated to correct the length setting of ASCII file.  Note: this error did not affect the SAS Transport version of these files, nor  the SAS data files constructed from the ASCII version of these files. 
• File 1 was updated to correct the value for ERHEVIDX .
• The variable ERHSEVID was deleted from File 1.
• File 2 was updated to correct for the rounded value of the variable  WTDPER98, resulting in very minor difference in values. Note: this error did not affect the ASCII version of this file, nor  the SAS data files constructed from the ASCII version of this file.