OVERVIEW

This point datalayer shows the location of 142 hospitals in Massachusetts. This data was developed by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) GIS Program based on database information provided by the Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy (DHCFP) and various Internet sources. In June 2003 the data were updated with information provided by the Massachusett Department of Public Health, Office of Emergency Medical Services (DPH OEMS) to distinguish 76 acute care sites licensed by the Mass DPH to have emergency rooms open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The other 66 facilities comprise physician professional office groups that provide primary care to ambulatory patients from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and may have extended hour/observation beds, and specialty practices such as rehabilitation or mental health centers with inpatient beds. These 66 sites are not licensed to have emergency rooms that accept patients 24 hours a day, and some may not have an anesthesiologist available. This ER/non-ER facility status is stored in the ER_STATUS field (see the "Attributes" section below). Stored in ArcSDE, the layer is named HOSPITALS_PT. Please be aware that because of possible frequent updates, this layer should not be the primary source when seeking emergency care. In such cases patients should contact local hospitals or emergency facilities directly.

A development dataset was generated by address-matching DHCFP data. Whenever possible, development locations were manually refined using 1:5,000 black and white and color digital ortho-photography or 1:25,000 USGS digital topographic imagery. Internet map sources (individual hospital sites, Yahoo.com, Mapquest.com) were also used to refine development locations. Attributes were verified and refined by DPH OEMS and MassGIS staff.

The Hospitals datalayer's point attribute table includes the following items:

General Identification Fields:
 

HOSP_ID		Unique identifier assigned by DEP GIS for each hospital. Used to relate to HOSPITALS.LDT
NAME		Hospital name; may include hospital corporate system name and/or campus name.
SHORTNAME		Hospital name often used by EMTs when locating ERs, usually the familiar campus name. This item is coded only for acute care hospitals (where ER_STATUS = "Y").
ER_STATUS		"Y" for facilities licensed by the state to have an emergency room open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "N" for other facilities that do not have 24-hour emergency rooms that accept ambulances.

Geographic Information Fields:
 

ADDRESS		Hospital location
TOWN		Town in which the source is located according to MassGIS Political Boundary data

Location Documentation Table: HOSPITALS_PT_LDT
The LDT contains standard DEP data documentation fields:
 

FIELD		TYPE/WIDTH		DEFINITION
HOSP_ID		I / 6		Unique identifier assigned by DEP GIS. Used to relate to HOSPITALS.PAT
L_BASE		C / 3		Base map type code
L_ACC_EST		I / 4		Location accuracy estimate measurement
L_TYPE		C / 4		Location type code
L_METH		C / 4		Location method code
L_SRC_1		C / 30		Primary source material code
L_SRC_2		C / 30		Secondary source material code
L_SRC_3		C / 30		Tertiary source material code

Description of standard documentation items

L_BASE (Location Base Map)
The standard MassGIS base map is the 1:5,000 digital orthophotography (DOQ).  Point data development at DEP should whenever possible conform to the 1:5,000 standard.  Since DEP has significant historical data developed at smaller scales (1:24,000 and 1:25,000), it is important that base scale be documented.  The L_BASE field contains a code that represents both the type of base map and/or the technique used for digitizing the location. Codes used for this layer include:
 

CODE		DEFINITION
DOQ		Digitized on screen using digital orthophoto base map (DOQ)

L_ACC_EST (Location Accuracy Estimate)
Horizontal accuracy refers to the quantitative measurement of the deviation from a coordinate position to the actual position (on the ground) that the coordinate represents. The DEP’s horizontal accuracy goal for point locations is +/-16.4 feet (approx. 5m). This goal reflects the accuracy capabilities of the DEP’s GeoExplorer (GPS) receivers, which under optimal mapping conditions are capable of providing horizontal accuracy typically in the order of 2-5 meters. The DEP’s horizontal accuracy goal exceeds the +/-25 meter (approx. 82ft) horizontal accuracy goal recommended by the EPA’s Locational Accuracy Task Force (LATF). Like the EPA’s recommended accuracy goal (+/-25m), it is important to remember that DEP’s accuracy goal (+/-16.4m) is simply a goal and not a standard. Most DEP point locations are estimated to be within +/-100 feet (30.5m), and the coarsest allowable horizontal accuracy for DEP production data is +/-1,000 feet (approx. 305m).

The L_ACC_EST field contains an integer value representing the estimated horizontal accuracy of the location in feet, according to the data developer. Codes used for this layer include:
 

VALUE		DEFINITION
100		Estimated horizontal accuracy is less than +/-100 ft (30.5m)
500		Estimated horizontal accuracy is +/-500 ft (152.4m)
1,000		Estimated horizontal accuracy is +/-1,000 ft (305m)

L_TYPE (Location Type)
The location type (L_TYPE) field contains a spatial reference code, indicating what the point represents. Codes used for this layer include:
 

CODE		DEFINITION
CA		Approximate center of site activity
CB		Approximate center of a building footprint positively associated with the facility/site
CB2		Approximate center of a building footprint, NOT positively associated with the facility/site
CS		Approximate center of site
EL		Estimated location

L_METH (Location Method)
The location method (L_METH) field contains an alphanumeric code defining the method used to locate the feature.  The location method is determined by the primary source used. Codes used for this layer include:

Interpolation:

CODE		DEFINITION
IN		Interpolation based on primary source material (L_SRC_1)

L_SRC_1,2,3  (Location Source)
The L_SRC_1 field contains a code indicating the primary source material used to locate the feature.  The L_SRC_2 field contains a code that indicates the secondary source material used to locate the feature.  The L_SRC_3 field contains a code that indicates any tertiary source material used to locate the feature. Codes used for this layer include:

Map Sources:
Map source code indicates the type of map used.
MS_<Source>  Standard Map source codes currently include:

	USGS		USGS topographic quadrangle map
	WWW		Internet map source (use L_COMM to record web URL)

Aerial Photography:
Aerial Photography source code indicates the source or type of AP used.
AP_<Source>  Standard aerial photography source codes currently include:

DOQ

MassGIS 1:5,000 digital orthophotography

MassGIS maintains this datalayer. In June, 2003 the ER_STATUS attribute was added, two sites were added (Lahey Clinic-North in Peabody and Healthsouth NE Rehab Ctr in Arlington), and five sites were removed due to closure. Further refinement of the ER_STATUS field was completed in January, 2004.

One facility - Bridgewater State Hospital - is part of the Prisons layer and not this dataset because in all cases, the patients that are admitted to this facility may be charged with or convicted of crimes ranging from misdemeanors to major felonies.

Last Updated 1/13/2004
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