Health and Demographics
Our Mission
Purpose
The Health and Demographics Section:
- Receives processes, distributes, and interprets health, demographic, and census data in South Carolina;
- Provides for general use an appropriate statistical and GIS (Small-area mapping) infrastructure enabling users to obtain health, socio-economic and demographic analysis for planning, intervention and evaluation of programs;
- Educates policy makers and other data users about the availability and appropriate use of information;
- Forms collaborative partnerships with agencies and research groups to carry out special studies and research projects related to health and socio-economic issues in South Carolina.
Health Professions:
Assembled via a partnership with SC Labor, Licensing and Regulations (LLR), this database contains information collected at license renewal and enables the description and analysis of change geographic location, age, race, gender, specialty, practice setting and type, retention and service area of S.C. health professionals programs. The health professionals programs include dentistry, medical, nursing, occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, and physical therapy.
The health information collected under §44-6-170, South Carolina Code of Laws, and maintained by Health and Demographics includes: uniformed billing data on inpatient discharges, emergency department visits, outpatient surgery, imaging, radiation therapy and other outpatient services requiring Certificate of Need (CON) from both short term acute care hospitals and licensed freestanding centers in the state.
These databases contain information from the UB-04 and CMS-1500 billing system and include reasons for use of services (ICD-9-CM diagnoses, types of services received (ICD-9-CM procedures or HCPCS/CPT procedures), charges for services by revenue center, length of stay, patient disposition, etc. With the ability to track patients over time, the systems permit some outcomes calculations such as readmission rates and ED visits within “x” days of treatment.
The South Carolina Data Oversight Council, a seventeen member public/private body formed by the state statute with RFA as staff, oversees the collection and release of health information collected under §44-6-170, South Carolina Code of Law. The Data Oversight Council reviews and approves applications for the release of health care data at the encounter level.
For more information, call 803.898.9940.