How Hospitals Provide Data to HQIP
HQIP uses three data sources that hospitals already maintain or can access at no cost to generate quality reports, benchmarking, and performance dashboards.
- NHSN infection data (shared through the CDC NHSN group)
- HCAI SIERA encounter files (uploaded by the hospital)
- Statewide patient-level comparison data from HCAI (AB 2876 datasets)
HQIP does not require any new data extraction or EHR integration. The platform uses files hospitals already generate for HCAI and NHSN reporting.
Initial setup typically takes 1–2 hours, with only a few minutes required per quarter afterward.
| Step | Task | Who Usually Completes This | Typical Time Required |
| 1 | Join the HQI NHSN Group | Infection Prevention Coordinator | ~5 minutes |
| 2 | Upload SIERA encounter files | IT staff, data analyst, or HCAI reporting staff | 30–60 minutes initial setup |
| 3 | Request AB 2876 statewide dataset from HCAI | Quality department or data analyst | 10–15 minutes to submit request |
Note: HCAI typically delivers AB 2876 datasets within 6–10 weeks.
Step 1 — Join the NHSN Group
(one-time setup)
Join HQI’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Group through the CDC NHSN web portal. This step typically takes the infection prevention coordinator about five minutes to complete.
Joining the HQI NHSN Group allows HQI to automatically import your hospital’s healthcare-associated infection (HAI) standardized infection ratios (SIRs) so they can be displayed in HQIP reports and benchmarking dashboards.
This step only needs to be completed once. After joining the group, HQIP will automatically retrieve updated NHSN data each month.
Step 2 — Upload SIERA Data Files
(previous year + current year)
Under California law, hospitals already submit Patient-Level Administrative Data to the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) each quarter for inpatient, emergency department, and ambulatory surgery encounters through the SIERA portal.
To populate HQIP reports, hospitals upload the previous and current calendar year SIERA files that were already submitted to HCAI.
Files are transferred securely via encrypted SFTP through the HQIP web application. This step is typically completed by the same staff member who prepares or submits SIERA files to HCAI.
The initial upload typically takes 30–60 minutes. After that, uploading new quarterly files generally takes less than 10 minutes.
Most hospitals choose to upload SIERA files to HQIP at the same time they submit them to HCAI, which keeps HQIP reports up to date throughout the year.
How to Upload HCAI Patient-Level Administrative Data (SIERA) into HQIP
Step 3 — Request Statewide HCAI Data (AB 2876)
(done once per year)
Hospitals participating in HQIP must request complimentary statewide patient-level data from HCAI and upload it to HQIP once it is delivered. These Custom Limited Data Sets include the prior three years of statewide inpatient, emergency department, and ambulatory surgery encounter data, which HQIP uses to generate benchmarking comparisons and advanced quality measures such as readmission rates.
Custom Limited Data Sets differ from HCAI’s Model Limited Data Sets because they include specific encounter dates and additional variables required for complex quality measurement. Documentation describing available variables is provided on HCAI’s Non-Public Data Documentation page.
Hospitals must submit the request through HCAI’s Data Request Portal.
How to Obtain AB 2876 Statewide Patient-Level Data Files from HCAI at No Cost for HQIP
When completing the request in the HCAI Data Request Portal, hospitals must upload the following documents:
1. Business Associate Agreement (BAA)
- A copy of the BAA between the hospital and HQI must be included with the request. HQI can provide a copy upon request by emailing HQIAnalytics@hqinstitute.org.
2. Custom Data Set Justification Grids
- PDD Custom Data Set Justification Grid
Used for the inpatient (PDD) data request. - ED/AS Custom Data Set Justification Grid
Used for both the emergency department (EDD) and ambulatory surgery (AS) data requests.
This grid must be uploaded twice — once for each dataset.
Once the request is approved, HCAI typically delivers the Custom Limited Data Sets within 6–10 weeks through its Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) system.
Hospitals can download the files by following HCAI’s How to Download Your Data instructions.
After downloading the files, hospitals should request HQIP SFTP access by emailing HQIAnalytics@hqinstitute.org, then upload the files for use in HQIP.
This request process is typically completed once per year, when HCAI releases an additional year of statewide data (usually around August).
How to Upload to Hospital Quality Institute SFTP
Demos, Accounts, Questions, & Tech Support
Contact the HQI Analytics Team at: HQIAnalytics@HQInstitute.org
Platform Link: https://hqipanalytics.org