The hospital discharge statistics have been maintained in electronic form since 1989 and comprise stay-related, patient-related and medical reporting data on inpatient hospital stays. They are based on the legally regulated diagnosis and service documentation of hospitals (according to the DRG system – “procedure-oriented hospital financing“ on the basis of diagnosis-related groups) and on the hospital statistics of the Ministry of Health. The legal basis is provided by the Federal Act on Documentation in the Health Care Sector. The hospital discharge statistics refer to single hospital stays (case-related) and include information on the age, gender and place of residence of the patients, on the length of stay, type of discharge, main diagnosis (ICD-10 in the version modified for Austria) and cause of injury, and information on medical procedures as well as on the hospital (location, care sector, discharging ward, legal entity, public law, fund affiliation and non-profit status).