Dive into the Depths of Hospital Data with AHA Data Sets

Feeling lost in a sea of generic medical databases? Craving data that goes beyond diagnoses and procedures? Fear not for AHA Data is here to be your compass! Developed by the American Hospital Association, this treasure trove holds the key to unlocking a wealth of information about the inner workings of healthcare institutions across the US.

What sets AHA Data apart?

• AHA Data delves deep into the specifics of individual hospitals. Dive into everything from bed occupancy rates to financial performance, all with pinpoint accuracy.
• Analyze hospital revenues, expenses, and profitability, and get a clear picture of how the money flows.
• AHA Data covers operational data, staffing levels, and even IT infrastructure, giving you a holistic view of the hospital landscape.
• Build your own queries, filter data to your heart’s content, and create custom reports that answer your specific research questions.
• Compare performance across regions, size categories, and even individual departments. Benchmarking has never been easier.

What types of questions can be answered with the AHA data sets?

• To what extent has the utilization of specific healthcare services changed over the past ten years across different patient demographics (e.g., age, income, insurance status)?
• How has the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) affected hospital finances, particularly in terms of patient revenue and expenses? 
• Based on historical data on patient demographics, diagnoses, and procedures, can we develop a statistical model to predict future hospital admissions for specific conditions in different geographic regions?

Looking for more examples? See how AHA data can be used in research by running a search in PubMed. For example, you can search for “AHA Annual Survey” (for broader results) or  “AHA Annual Survey” AND 2023[dp] (for results from 2023).

What new data is available this year?

• Utilization by payer
• Contracted (temporary) staff
• Bundled payment options for major medical/surgical conditions (From AHA Annual Survey Database™)

How to access AHA Data

In order to access AHA data, you will need to register for an account through Wharton Research Data Services using your Stanford-affiliated email (WRDS). Please note that it may take a day or two for your application to be processed since it will be reviewed by the Graduate School of Business Library. Once your account is approved, you will need to set up Duo authentication to access WRDS. When you log in, you will be able to select “American Hospital Association” from the subscriptions list. There are three main categories for you to explore: 3 Years–a 3-year window of data, History–over 40 years of data, and Recent–which looks at data from the last 18 years.

AHA Data requires some data wrangling skills and a willingness to navigate complex datasets. But our librarians are here to help! Contact us if you have any questions or need assistance with accessing AHA data sets through WRDS.

So, what are you waiting for? Dive into the AHA data sets and discover a whole new world of healthcare research possibilities.