Where can I find information about MONAHRQ?
MONAHRQ is a free, downloadable software product that helps organizations easily generate their own healthcare reporting Website. MONAHRQ 2.0 allows organizations to use their own hospital discharge data, the inpatient measure results from CMS Hospital Compare, or both.
For a sample Website generated using MONAHRQ and synthetic data, visit the MONAHRQ 2.0 demo site.
For a MONAHRQ presentation and fact sheet, visit the Learn More section.
For details on installing and using the most recent version of MONAHRQ, including the Host User Guide, visit the download page.
For information on earlier versions of MONAHRQ, visit the download page for MONAHRQ 1.0 and 1.1.
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How much does MONAHRQ cost?
MONAHRQ is free! It was developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). It is public domain software that AHRQ provides completely free of charge. There are no licensing fees and no fees for technical support. To use MONAHRQ, you must have a Microsoft Windows operating system, Microsoft .Net software, and a Microsoft SQL Server database. You can download free copies of Microsoft .Net and Microsoft SQL Server Express software from the MONARHQ download page ( http://www.monahrq.ahrq.gov/download_2.shtml).
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Can I access a demonstration of a MONAHRQ generated Website?
We do not currently have a publicly available demonstration version of a MONAHRQ generated Website. The MONAHRQ Presentation (PPT file, 5.1 MB) describes the generated Website and provides screen shots. If you are interested in attending a webinar demonstration of MONAHRQ, please send an expression of interest to MONAHRQ Technical Assistance ( monahrq@ahrq.gov).
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Which organizations have published MONAHRQ generated Websites? How can I access those Websites?
The MONAHRQ Websites page provides a list of MONAHRQ generated Websites. If you are using MONAHRQ and would like us to link to your Website, please contact MONAHRQ Technical Assistance ( monahrq@ahrq.gov).
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Would it be appropriate for my organization to use MONAHRQ?
MONAHRQ 2.0 can be used by anyone! If you have hospital discharge data, MONAHRQ 2.0 lets you load it and create a Website that reports the AHRQ Quality Indicators, hospital utilization, and county-level rates of conditions and procedures. You can also obtain a data file from the MONAHRQ download page containing the most recent set of inpatient measure results from CMS Hospital Compare, formatted to be loaded and reported by MONAHRQ 2.0.
For a sample Website generated using MONAHRQ and synthetic data, visit the MONAHRQ 2.0 demo site.
For a MONAHRQ presentation and fact sheet, visit the Learn More section.
For more details on installing and using the most recent version of MONAHRQ, including a Host User Guide, visit the download page for MONAHRQ 2.0.
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Can one use the HCUP SID in MONAHRQ?
While it is technically possible to process HCUP SID using MONAHRQ, it should be noted that HCUP SID data can only be used within the parameters of the HCUP DUA. Any use of the HCUP SID data in MONAHRQ must comply with the conditions described in the HCUP DUA.
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Can my organization use MONAHRQ if we are located outside of the United States?
Any organization is permitted to use MONAHRQ. However, the MONAHRQ software includes population and region data specific to the U.S. It uses data coding that is standard in the U.S., such as ICD-9-CM. If your organization is located outside of the U.S., you may still be able to use MONAHRQ's hospital-level quality indicators and hospital-level utilization statistics. You will not be able to use the area-level indicators and maps for potentially preventable hospitalizations and rates of conditions. To discuss options, please contact MONAHRQ Technical Assistance ( monahrq@ahrq.gov).
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Where can I find specifications for the AHRQ Quality Indicators included in MONAHRQ?
For additional technical information about the AHRQ Quality Indicators, please visit the ARHQ Quality Indicators Website ( http://www.qualityindicators.ahrq.gov/).
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Will MONAHRQ report any additional quality indicators?
The MONAHRQ team continues to work to support and enhance the MONAHRQ software product. MONAHRQ 2.0 has the capability to load CMS Hospital Compare data in addition to hospital inpatient data. For differences between the different versions of MONAHRQ, review this presentation (PPT file, 5.1 MB). To receive e-mail updates about the latest MONAHRQ developments including additional quality indicators, please join the MONAHRQ listserv ( monahrq@ahrq.gov). To provide us with input on which measures you would like included in future versions, please send your suggestions to MONAHRQ Technical Assistance ( monahrq@ahrq.gov).
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How long does it take to load my data and generate a Website?
The time required to load your hospital data, analyze data, and generate a MONAHRQ Website varies. It depends on the number of discharges in your data, the number of hospitals and regions in your data, the type of Microsoft SQL Server database you use, and your computer's processing power. The data analysis portion of the software requires the longest amount of time to run. While your results may differ, our experience suggests that datasets of approximately 500,000 records take 2-3 hours to analyze. Larger data sets of approximately 3-4 million records may take 10 or more hours to analyze. If you have a large data set, we recommend running the data analysis portion overnight. Alternatively, if you choose to only load CMS Hospital Compare data, the processing time is shorter than 10 minutes. The Website generation portion is less time consuming, but may still require several hours when local discharge data are loaded. Please note that you can continue to use your computer while the MONAHRQ application runs in the background, although all processes may be slower.
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What type of data do I need to use MONAHRQ software? What format does my data need to be in?
MONAHRQ 2.0 uses hospital inpatient administrative data (which consist of individual discharge records for patients in the hospital) and it also has the ability to load CMS Hospital Compare data (which consist of hospital-level summary data on various quality of care measures).
MONAHRQ 1.1 and 1.0 only allow users to load hospital inpatient administrative data which is based on the uniform bill (UB-04) used by hospitals to submit claims for reimbursement to insurers and contains information such as patient age and gender, primary expected payer, ICD-9-CM diagnoses and procedures, charges, and length of stay.
MONAHRQ can use input data files in CSV, Microsoft Access, and Microsoft Excel formats. Further details on required data elements and coding are available in the MONAHRQ Host User Guides. Select for MONAHRQ 2.0 Host User Guide (PDF file, 4 MB), and MONAHRQHostUserGuide.pdf (PDF file 3.1 MB) for MONAHRQ 1.1/1.0 Host User Guide.
Due to formatting issues, the CMS Hospital Compare dataset should be downloaded directly from the MONAHRQ download page, not from the Hospital Compare site. The MONAHRQ team downloads the Hospital Compare dataset from the CMS Website and formats it so that you can easily load into MONAHRQ.
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Why am I receiving an error message about my diagnoses codes?
If you are loading your data as a Microsoft Excel file, this may be the reason for your error message. Microsoft Excel can drop leading zeros, altering your diagnoses codes to make them invalid. Page 10 of the MONAHRQ Host User Guide ( http://www.monahrq.ahrq.gov/MONAHRQv2HostUserGuide.pdf, PDF file, 4 MB) provides more information on handling codes in Microsoft Excel. If you are receiving error messages about your diagnoses codes but are not using Microsoft Excel, please contact MONAHRQ Technical Assistance ( monahrq@ahrq.gov). Please send your full MONAHRQ session log to help diagnose the problem.
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The data tables and maps in the preventable hospitalization path are not showing data. I'm experiencing this problem after I ran the Area Report Wizard. What is causing this error?
When the Area Report Wizard is run and then the MONAHRQ Website Generator is run, the preventable hospitalization path may not display data correctly. This is because the Area Report Wizard may have activated a default that affects the Website Generator in an unexpected way. The MONAHRQ Host User Guide Technical Addendum 1 for version 1.0: Using Both the Reporting and Website Generation Features ( http://www.monahrq.ahrq.gov/MONAHRQ_TechnicalAddendum1, PDF file, 892 KB) provides instructions on how to un-select this default, which will allow you to successfully run both the Area Reports and the Website Generator.
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Why am I having trouble connecting to the MONAHRQ database? What types of permissions do I need to use MONAHRQ? What information does my IT administrator need to install MONAHRQ?
If your MONAHRQ application is having trouble connecting to your database, you are likely experiencing permissions problems. To use MONAHRQ, you need appropriate permissions for both your Windows operating system and your Microsoft SQL Server database. You can find step-by-step instructions on how to set your permissions correctly in the MONAHRQ Permissions Guide ( http://www.monahrq.ahrq.gov/MONAHRQ_Permissions.pdf, PDF file, 260 KB). You may need to work with your IT administrator to grant all necessary permissions.
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How do I find records included in the Quality Indicators numerators and denominators?
The easiest way to access this information is to do the following:
- Save your MONAHRQ-generated dataset to a CSV file (reference the MONAHRQ Host User Guide - http://www.monahrq.ahrq.gov/MONAHRQv2HostUserGuide.pdf, PDF file, 4 MB).
- This CSV file can then be used as part of a statistical package (SAS, SPSS, STATA, Access) to identify the appropriate discharge records.
- The file has an "indicator flag" for each of the Quality Indicators. This flag has values of 0, 1, or null. These values can be used to identify records as requested (use the patient ID/Key).
- Numerator: Value of "1"
- Denominator: A value of "1" or "0"
- Use the Patient ID/Key to map back to the discharge information.
Using SQL Server:
- Open up your MONAHRQ SQL database
- Find the table "discharge_main"
- This table will have the same indicator flags as described above (reference #3 & #4 above).
If you expect that these will be regular inquiries, it may be worthwhile to write a brief SAS program for identifying the cases. The SAS program could then be run on your MONAHRQ-generated dataset automatically (the output could be a hospital level file that contains the discharge information for each indicator).
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Why do I need to connect to a SQL Server database in order to use MONAHRQ?
SQL Server is the back-end database for MONAHRQ. In fact, you must identify or create a SQL database before you can begin the data import process in the MONAHRQ Database Manager. You can download free versions of SQL Server Express from the MONAHRQ Download page ( http://www.monahrq.ahrq.gov/download_2.shtml).
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How does MONAHRQ 1.0 differ from the new release of WinQI 4.2?
The AHRQ Quality Indicators recently released WinQI 4.2. We have now released MONAHRQ 1.1, which incorporates the new WinQI 4.2 software. You can download MONAHRQ 1.1 on the MONAHRQ download page ( http://www.monahrq.ahrq.gov/download_1.shtml). For information about the comparison between MONAHRQ 1.0, MONAHRQ 1.1, and WinQI 4.2 please access the MONAHRQ 1.0 and 1.1 Comparison document ( PDF file, 156 KB).
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I uninstalled MONAHRQ 1.1/1.0 and installed MONAHRQ 2.0. Can I use the same database that I used with MONAHRQ 1.1/1.0?
No. If you upgrade to MONAHRQ 2.0, you need to create a new database. MONAHRQ 2.0 uses different database structures than earlier versions of MONAHRQ.
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Can I edit the Web pages generated by MONAHRQ?
Yes, you can edit the Web pages generated by MONAHRQ.
- Style sheet: For MONAHRQ 1.1 and later versions, the Web page styling is done entirely in the Cascading Style Sheets file named main.css. You can change many of MONAHRQ's colors, fonts, bullet styles, or widths by editing this file.
- Main navigation pages: To change the actual content of one of MONAHRQ's main navigation pages, you should directly edit the html file for that page. To figure out a page's name, view the page in your browser and read its name in the browser's address bar.
- Headers and footers: Common page elements such as the header and the footer are not repeated in each separate page; they are created by central JavaScript files used by all pages. To change the common page header, for example, edit the JavaScript file named header0.js.
You can find additional information about editing MONAHRQ's Web pages in the MONAHRQ Host User Guide, Part III: Customizing Web Pages: Information for a Webmaster ( 2.0 host user guide).
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How is MONAHRQ 1.1 different from MONAHRQ 1.0?
MONAHRQ 1.1 is primarily a maintenance release. It is the same as MONAHRQ 1.0 except:
- MONAHRQ 1.1 can report more AHRQ Quality Indicators than MONAHRQ 1.0.
- MONAHRQ 1.1 was updated to incorporate version 4.2 of the AHRQ Quality Indicators software. It accommodates data through FY2010. MONAHRQ 1.0 uses an older version of the AHRQ Quality Indicators software and accommodates data through FY2009.
You can find a full list of the differences between MONAHRQ versions 1.1 and 1.0 here (PDF file, 156 KB).
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How is MONAHRQ 2.0 different from MONAHRQ 1.1?
The main differences between MONAHRQ 1.1 and 2.0 are:
- MONAHRQ 2.0 can report the inpatient CMS Hospital Compare measures, while MONAHRQ 1.1 cannot. Both versions allow you to load your own discharge data in order to report the AHRQ Quality Indicators, hospital utilization, and county rates of conditions and procedures. MONAHRQ 2.0 lets you load discharge data, Hospital Compare inpatient measures, or both.
- The MONAHRQ 2.0 reporting Website has an updated user interface,
- MONAHRQ 2.0 can report more AHRQ Quality Indicators. Access this presentation (PPT file, 2.4 MB) for a full list of differences between MONAHRQ versions 2.0 and 1.1.
Can I visit a live MONAHRQ-generated Website?
The MONAHRQ Websites page lists links to live, publicly accessible reporting Websites generated using MONAHRQ. We also provide a full demo site, populated with synthetic data, generated using MONAHRQ 2.0.
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When I use MONAHRQ, does AHRQ handle my data or host my reporting Website?
No. MONAHRQ is a desktop software tool that makes data analysis and reporting easier. You control the entire process. You keep your data private, choose Website options and which indicators to report, generate Web pages onto your own computer, and host the new Website yourself.
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Which AHRQ Quality Indicators are included in MONAHRQ 2.0?
MONAHRQ 2.0 can report more AHRQ Quality Indicators than previous versions. A list of AHRQ Quality Indicators included in MONAHRQ 2.0 can be found in Table 3: Measure Details in the MONAHRQ 2.0 Host User Guide (PDF file, 4 MB).
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Where can I learn more about the CMS Hospital Compare measures?
You can learn more about the CMS Hospital Compare measures at the Hospital Compare Website.
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Why can't I download the CMS Hospital Compare measure results directly from the Hospital Compare Website?
We strongly advise you use the Hospital Compare data files we provide at the MONAHRQ download site. The MONAHRQ development team obtained this information directly from Hospital Compare and formatted it to be loaded into MONAHRQ. If you use other data files, MONAHRQ may not be able to load them properly.
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Can I still use MONAHRQ 1.1?
Yes, you can still use MONAHRQ 1.1. However, MONAHRQ 1.1 does not report CMS Hospital Compare data; this feature was introduced in version 2.0. Find the full list of the differences between MONAHRQ here (PPT file, 2 MB) .
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If I load hospital discharge data into MONAHRQ, what data years can I use?
MONAHRQ 1.0 accommodates discharge data through FY 2009. MONAHRQ 1.1 and 2.0 accommodate data through FY 2010. MONAHRQ requires data be formatted by calendar year. The MONAHRQ team will continue to update the software for new FY coding.
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Where can I find a list of the measures available in MONAHRQ?
The Host User Guide (( PDF file, 4 MB) provides a detailed listing of all of the measures available in MONAHRQ. There is also an Excel spreadsheet ( XLS file, 19 KB; Excel Viewer) that provides a concise listing.
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Sign up on the MONAHRQ Mailing List
Receive updates on the latest MONAHRQ developments and new releases. To join, contact MONAHRQ@ahrq.gov or 1-888-720-1824.
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