Definition of Reported Measures
- Hospitalizations due to Heart Attacks represents the number of hospitalizations due to heart attacks among California residents 35 years and over; expressed as a rate per 10,000 California residents.
- Emergency department (ED) visits due to Heart Attacks represents the number of ED visits due to heart attacks among California residents 35 years and over who; expressed as a rate per 10,000 California residents.
How to Read Tables, Charts, and Maps
- The 95% confidence interval (CI) is the range of values that likely contains the true rate in the population.
- Crude rates express the number of outcomes relative to the size of the population. N/A indicates that the data are not available due to the number of events being less than 12.
- Total counts are listed next to rates unless the total number of events is less than 12.
- The map legend displays the data with four class breaks, where the data is divided into four equal bins known as quartiles.
- Some counties have a greater proportion of people who are old or young than other counties, which makes it difficult to compare across counties or over time. Scientists often fix this problem through a technique called age adjustment so comparisons can be made. In addition to crude rates, we also present age-adjusted rates.
- Effective October 1, 2015, hospital record (HCAI) data transitioned from ICD-9 to ICD-10-CM. Differences between counts and rates in years prior to 2015 compared with 2015 and subsequent years could be a result of this coding change and not an actual difference in the number of events.
- Prior to 2019, data for Asians and Pacific Islanders were combined into a single group (Asian/PI). Beginning in 2019, data were reported separately for Asians and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders (NHPI). Data were also reported for Multi-race individuals starting in 2019.
Data Sources
- Emergency Department and Patient Discharge Datasets are from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI), formerly known as the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD).
- Denominators for rates are based on estimates from the California Department of Finance.
Methods
Cases of MI hospitalizations and emergency department visits are identified using the following ICD codes as the primary diagnosis:
| ICD-9 Code | Code Description |
| 410 | Acute myocardial infarction |
| ICD-10 Code | Code Description |
| I21 | Acute myocardial infarction |
| I22 | Subsequent ST elevation (STEMI) and non-ST elevation (NSTEMI) myocardial infarction |
Limitations of the data
- Data Collection Purpose: Diagnosis codes are recorded by hospitals for reimbursement purposes and not for public health surveillance.
- The rates provided include ED visits and hospitalizations for California residents. Out-of-state residents and unhoused patients with no recorded address are excluded from the rates.
- Low-level of resolution: Hospitals are not mandated to report patient addresses. The level of geographic resolution of the data is limited to state, county, and zip code.
Suggested Citation
Tracking California, Public Health Institute. Heart Attack Related Emergency Department & Hospitalization data. Accessed [Month/Day/Year] from https://data.trackingcalifornia.org
Notes about the data (PDF)