Uniform Hospital Discharge Data Set (UHDDS) for inpatients Uniform Ambulatory Care Data Set (UACDS) for outpatient or ambulatory patients Minimum Data Set (MDS) for long-term care

The Uniform Hospital Discharge Data Set is a set of data that includes administrative and clinical information about inpatients at a hospital. UHDDS was developed by the National Center for Health Statistics of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. UHDDS contains the following elements of data: name, address and sex for the patient, as well as date of birth. It also includes information about the patient’s status upon discharge.

The Uniform Ambulatory Care Data Set is a set of data that includes administrative and clinical information about outpatients or patients receiving ambulatory services. UACDS has been developed by National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics of United States Department of Health and Human Services. UACDS data includes: Patient identification information, dates of services, reasons for visits, diagnoses, procedures, and disposition.

The Minimum Data Set is a set of data that includes clinical and administrative information about residents who live in nursing homes or other long-term facilities. MDS was developed by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of United States Department of Health and Human Services. MDS data includes: information about the resident, assessment date and type, cognitive, behavioral, mood and emotional state, ADLs, continence, diagnosis, treatment, as well as other clinical and administrative details.

UHDDS and UACDS both include administrative and clinical patient data, however the UHDDS is for inpatients, while the UACDS focuses on outpatient or ambulatory patients. These data sets contain data such as identification data, diagnostics and procedures. MDS differs from UHDDS or UACDS because it was designed for long-term residents and contains data related to cognition and mood. The three sets of data are intended to enhance the quality and consistency of patient care through providing data for quality improvement and research.