Welcome

Welcome to the Volume of Reported Patient Discharges by Health Care Facilities in New York State dashboard. This tool provides a comprehensive overview of patient discharge trends from healthcare facilities across New York State, spanning January 2015 through March 2025. It is designed to inform policymakers, researchers, and public health professionals about trends in healthcare utilization and to support evidence-based decisions to improve public health.

Data Overview

The data presented here are sourced from the New York State Department of Health’s SPARCS Reports (source) and the Health Facility General Information dataset (source). These datasets include facility-level monthly discharge counts categorized into four types of care: Emergency Department (ED), Inpatient, Ambulatory Surgery, and Outpatient. The dashboard summarizes cumulative discharges and visualizes trends for individual facilities and the state as a whole.

How to Use These Data

This dashboard is organized into the following sections:

• Statewide Summary: Explore aggregated trends in patient discharges across all healthcare facilities in New York State. Facility Summaries: Examine discharge patterns and trends for individual facilities, including the distribution of discharges by type of care.
• Technical Notes: Understand key definitions used in the analyses.

Use the visualizations and summary tables to identify trends, compare facility-level patterns, and uncover insights into healthcare utilization across New York.

Why Are These Data Important?

Patient discharge data provide valuable insights into healthcare utilization and service demand. They can reveal changes in care delivery, such as shifts between inpatient and outpatient services, and highlight areas requiring public health intervention. These insights are particularly important given the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has reshaped healthcare systems across New York State.

What Do These Data Show?

These data show:

• The distribution of patient discharges by type of care (e.g., Emergency Department, Inpatient).
• Trends in healthcare utilization over time, both statewide and at the facility level.
• Variability in discharge volumes across facility types and regions.

What Do These Data Not Show?

These data do not:

• Capture the quality of care provided by facilities.
• Include patient-level demographic or clinical details.
• Provide information on outcomes beyond discharge.
• Account for unreported or missing data from facilities.

Implications for Public Health Practice

The insights derived from these data can guide:

• Resource Allocation: Identifying regions or facilities experiencing surges in demand to optimize resource distribution.
• Policy Development: Informing policies that address healthcare access and equity.
• Healthcare Planning: Monitoring utilization trends to improve public health preparedness and system resilience.
• Evaluation of Interventions: Assessing the impact of public health interventions or healthcare reforms on service demand.

By leveraging these data, stakeholders can make informed decisions to strengthen New York State’s healthcare system and enhance community health outcomes.

Statewide Summary

Graphs Prepared By: Isaac H. Michaels, MPH
Data Source: New York State Department of Health

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Facility Summaries