Texas Health Care Information Collection
Center for Health Statistics

The Texas Health Care Information Collection (THCIC) includes data from:

• Hospitals (inpatients)
• Hospitals (outpatients), Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Radiology Centers (SB 1731)
            Data collection begins 4th quarter 2009!
• Health Maintenance Organizations

Hospitals can review and comment on the following reports until December 3: Indicators of Inpatient Care in Texas Hospitals, 2007 Quality of Children's Care in Texas Hospitals, 2007 The reports will be released in December.

Consumer Guide to Health Care A guide to information for the consumer on the quality of healthcare and on healthcare billing and pricing practices has been developed by the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas Medical Board. It is required by Chapter 324, Texas Health and Safety Code and Chapter 154, Texas Occupations Code. These statutes provide for consumer access to health care information and to certain billing information from health plans or from healthcare facilities.

Two reports on the quality of care in Texas hospitals in 2006 are now available.

• Indicators of Inpatient Care in Texas Hospitals, a report on the performance by Texas hospitals on measures of quality includes a database of hospital performance from 2002 through 2006.
• Quality of Children's Care in Texas Hospitals includes information on the performance by Texas hospitals on 5 measures of quality in 2006 and includes a searchable database of hospital performance.

Facts and Figures: Statistics on Hospital-Based Care in Texas, 2006 includes tables and charts of diagnoses, procedures and charges for hospital stays. It also includes an overview of the uninsured. Released December 2008 (PDF format, 372K).

Preventable Hospitalizations, 2005 is a report on 5 conditions of children under the age of 18 and 14 conditions of adults age 18 and older, for which timely and effective use of primary care should reduce the risk of hospitalization. Hospitalization rates by county are presented in the report.

The Texas Public Use Data File (PUDF) has been released through first quarter 2008. Purchasing the PUDF requires a completed Order Form and a signed Data Use Agreement (PDF format, 97K).

The data files include 255 data fields in a base data file and 13 data fields in a detailed charges file. Data files for years before 2004 include only 105 data fields. Information on these additional data fields is included in the User Manual. The PUDF contains data on hospital inpatient discharges and includes:

• Patient demographic data - including age group, sex, race and ethnicity
• Geographic data - including the patient’s zip code
• Diagnoses and procedures
• Primary and secondary sources of payment – including detailed charges

The Texas PUDF is one of the largest sources of hospital discharge data in the U.S. It can be used for:

• Studying and improving health care services – including monitoring patient quality and outcomes
• Strategic planning – including comparative analyses and market assessment
• Marketing and business development – including program and product line planning

The Guide to HMO Quality 2008, an annual reference book on the performance of Texas HMOs, has been published by the Office of Public Insurance Counsel.

THCIC maintains a Registry of Health Care Providers and Referral Groups available to provide life-sustaining treatment or other services relating to the Texas Advance Directives Act.