The University Healthsystem Consortium clinical database: An emerging resource in colorectal surgery research

In the era of big data, many options exist for analysis of health care related outcomes. The University HealthSystem Consortium Clinical Database/Resource Manager (UHC CDB/RM) represents one such source. With over 400 hospitals participating, UHC comprises >95% of academic centers and their affiliates. Primarily used as an avenue for hospitals to meet requirements in quality assurance activities, it also makes available patient-level data on over 30 million inpatient encounters. In recent years, UHC has been increasingly used to assess quality and cost outcomes for surgical patients, many of which have been specific to colorectal procedures. Though it has limitations, it provides a useful source of data to assess quality and cost outcomes, especially at a time when these metrics are used to gauge surgeons and hospitals, as well as determine reimbursements for surgical procedures.