Applicability of hospital reports submitted for reimbursement purposes for epidemiological studies based on the example of ischemic cerebrovascular diseases

Abstract

In single-payer health care financing systems data extracted from hospital report forms submitted for reimbursement purposes may be used for epidemiological investigations. Based on data submitted by 14 neurological wards in Central Hungary the authors examined the reliability of these reports. Analyses were performed for the 3-digit codes of the 10th version of the International Classification of Diseases for cerebral infarcts (ICD-10 I63+I64) reported for the National Health Insurance Fund. The number of cases in individual hospitals changed between a decrease by 35% and an increase by 73% from the first to the second half of the year 2012, reflecting changes in the size of the catchment area of the hospitals in July 2012. Of those with an ICD-10 I63 or I64 discharge diagnosis 54-84% had acute stroke. Neurological wards cared for 34-98% of all stroke patients. The diagnoses submitted for reimbursement purposes corresponded in over 99% to the diagnoses in the hospital discharge reports. Inaccuracies occurred in a larger proportion (about 20%) in coding the DRG financing categories. Databases created from hospital reports submitted for reimbursement purposes can be used reliably in Hungary for stroke epidemiological studies.