The National Hospital Care Survey (NHCS) collects data on patient care in hospital-based settings to describe patterns of health care delivery and utilization in the United States. Settings currently include inpatient and emergency departments (ED). Additionally, the NHCS contributes data that may inform public health emergencies as the survey is designed to capture emerging diseases and viruses that require hospitalizations, including COVID-19 encounters. The 2020 - 2023 NHCS are not yet fully operational so it is important to note that these data are not nationally representative.

The data are from 26 hospitals submitting inpatient and 26 hospitals submitting ED Uniform Bill (UB)-04 administrative claims from March 18, 2020-December 26, 2023. Even though the data are not nationally representative, they can provide insight on the impact of COVID-19 on various types of hospitals throughout the country. This information is not available in other hospital reporting systems. The NHCS data from these hospitals can show results by a combination of indicators related to COVID-19, such as length of inpatient stay, in-hospital mortality, comorbidities, and intubation or ventilator use. NHCS data allow for reporting on patient conditions and treatments within the hospital over time.