Data

VA researchers who obtain appropriate approvals and follow Federal privacy regulations may obtain access to data on the cost of VA health care. These include information on the expenditures at the level of an individual facility or department, and the cost of individual hospital stays and outpatient visits.

Department-level costs are reported in two Decision Support System (DSS) databases. These are the Account Level Budget Cost Center (ALBCC) data set, and in the Monthly Program Cost Report (MPCR).

VA researchers have two sources of data on the cost of VA hospital stays and outpatient visits. Both sources provide data back to 1999. DSS national data extracts provide facility-specific cost estimates. HERC has created cost estimates that are not facility-specific. The HERC inpatient file estimates the national average cost of a hospital stay given its Diagnosis Related Group, overall length of stay, and days in intensive care. The HERC outpatient file estimates the average cost given the Current Procedure and Terminology Codes assigned to the visit. The HERC inpatient estimates are based on the cost of Medicare hospitals. HERC outpatient estimates are based on hypothetical Medicare reimbursement. Both estimates are adjusted so that the estimates tally to actual national VA expenditures.

VA also creates the Fee Basis File, which provides information on care provided under contract to VA.

VA researchers may obtain more detailed information about these data sources from the HERC Intranet site.