California Office of Statewide Health Planning & Development

AHRQ — Inpatient Quality Indicators (IQIs)
Area-Level Utilization Rates for California

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Quality Indicators (QIs) are a set of measures that provide a perspective on hospital quality of care using patient data routinely reported to OSHPD.

Inpatient Quality Indicators by County

• 2007 Inpatient Quality Indicators: pdf | xls
• 2006 Inpatient Quality Indicators: pdf | xls
• 2005 Inpatient Quality Indicators: pdf | xls

The Inpatient Quality Indicators (IQIs) are a set of measures that provide a perspective on hospital quality of care using hospital administrative data. These area-level indicators reflect the rate of hospitalization in the area for specific procedures. They are designed using an age- and sex-adjusted population-based denominator and discharge-based numerator. These indicators represent procedures whose use varies widely across relatively similar geographic areas with (in many cases) substantial inappropriate use.¹

The area-level (by county) Inpatient Quality Indicators include the following four utilization rates:

• Coronary Artery Bypass Graft
• Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty
• Hysterectomy
• Laminectomy or Spinal Fusion

These indicators were created using patient data submitted electronically by California-licensed hospitals. The data were not validated by OSHPD beyond the routine error-checking that occurs during the data submission process. Additional information about the methods for calculating these indicators, along with detailed technical explanations, is provided by AHRQ at their Web site. AHRQ also provides valuable guidance regarding the validity of these indicators and important limitations on their use as quality measures.

¹ Text taken from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Web site.