Teaching hospitals and quality of care: a review of the literature

Does admission to a teaching hospital affect acute myocardial infarction survival?

PURPOSE

Previous studies have found that teaching hospitals produce better acute myocardial infarction (AMI) outcomes than nonteaching hospitals. However, these analyses generally excluded patients transferred out of nonteaching hospitals and did not study outcomes by patient risk level. The objective of this study was to determine whether admission to a teaching hospital was associated with greater survival after accounting for patient transfers and patient severity.

METHOD

This observational study used logistic models to examine the association between hospital teaching status and 30-day mortality of AMI patients, adjusting for patient comorbidities and common time trends. The sample included 1,309,554 Medicare patients admitted from 1996 to 2004 to 3,761 acute care hospitals for AMI. The primary outcome was 30-day all-cause, all-location mortality.

RESULTS

Mortality was slightly lower in minor teaching hospitals compared with nonteaching hospitals (odds ratio [OR] 0.97; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.95-0.99) but not different between major teaching and nonteaching hospitals (OR 1.01; 95% CI 0.96-1.03). The odds of mortality in minor teaching hospitals decreased 4.2% relative to nonteaching hospitals during the seven-year period (OR from 0.98 to 0.94). There was no consistent pattern of association between teaching status and patient severity.

CONCLUSIONS

After correctly accounting for the ability of nonteaching hospitals to appropriately transfer patients in need of different care, there was no survival benefit on average for initial admission to a teaching hospital for AMI. Further more, higher-risk patients did not benefit from initial admission to teaching hospitals.

Meaningful use of electronic health record systems and process quality of care: evidence from a panel data analysis of U.S. acute-care hospitals

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the incremental effects of transitions in electronic health record (EHR) system capabilities on hospital process quality.

DATA SOURCE

Hospital Compare (process quality), Health Information and Management Systems Society Analytics (EHR use), and Inpatient Prospective Payment System (hospital characteristics) for 2006-2010.

STUDY SETTING

Hospital EHR systems were categorized into five levels (Level_0 to Level_4) based on use of eight clinical applications. Level_3 systems can meet 2011 EHR "meaningful use" objectives. Process quality was measured as composite scores on a 100-point scale for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical care infection prevention. Statistical analyses were conducted using fixed effects linear panel regression model for all hospitals, hospitals stratified on condition-specific baseline quality, and for large hospitals.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Among all hospitals, implementing Level_3 systems yielded an incremental 0.35-0.49 percentage point increase in quality (over Level_2) across three conditions. Hospitals in bottom quartile of baseline quality increased 1.16-1.61 percentage points across three conditions for reaching Level_3. However, transitioning to Level_4 yielded an incremental decrease of 0.90-1.0 points for three conditions among all hospitals and 0.65-1.78 for bottom quartile hospitals.

CONCLUSIONS

Hospitals transitioning to EHR systems capable of meeting 2011 meaningful use objectives improved process quality, and lower quality hospitals experienced even higher gains. However, hospitals that transitioned to more advanced systems saw quality declines.

Factors associated with short-term bounce-back admissions after emergency department discharge

STUDY OBJECTIVE

Hospitalizations that occur shortly after emergency department (ED) discharge may reveal opportunities to improve ED or follow-up care. There currently is limited, population-level information about such events. We identify hospital- and visit-level predictors of bounce-back admissions, defined as 7-day unscheduled hospital admissions after ED discharge.

METHODS

Using the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development files, we conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of adult (aged >18 years) ED visits resulting in discharge in 2007. Candidate predictors included index hospital structural characteristics such as ownership, teaching affiliation, trauma status, and index ED size, along with index visit patient characteristics of demographic information, day of service, against medical advice or eloped disposition, insurance, and ED primary discharge diagnosis. We fit a multivariable, hierarchic logistic regression to account for clustering of ED visits by hospitals.

RESULTS

The study cohort contained a total of 5,035,833 visits to 288 facilities in 2007. Bounce-back admission within 7 days occurred in 130,526 (2.6%) visits and was associated with Medicaid (odds ratio [OR] 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.40 to 1.45) or Medicare insurance (OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.50 to 1.55) and a disposition of leaving against medical advice or before the evaluation was complete (OR 1.90; 95% CI 1.89 to 2.0). The 3 most common age-adjusted index ED discharge diagnoses associated with a bounce-back admission were chronic renal disease, not end stage (OR 3.3; 95% CI 2.8 to 3.8), end-stage renal disease (OR 2.9; 95% CI 2.4 to 3.6), and congestive heart failure (OR 2.5; 95% CI 2.3 to 2.6). Hospital characteristics associated with a higher bounce-back admission rate were for-profit status (OR 1.2; 95% CI 1.1 to 1.3) and teaching affiliation (OR 1.2; 95% CI 1.0 to 1.3).

CONCLUSION

We found 2.6% of discharged patients from California EDs to have a bounce-back admission within 7 days. We identified vulnerable populations, such as the very old and the use of Medicaid insurance, and chronic or end-stage renal disease as being especially at risk. Our findings suggest that quality improvement efforts focus on high-risk individuals and that the disposition plan of patients consider vulnerable populations.

Meanings of quality of care: perspectives of Portuguese health professionals and patients

OBJECTIVES

The main goal of this study is to explore what is meant by "quality of care" (QoC) by both health professionals and patients. This research also intends to compare the perspectives of nurses, doctors and patients in order to understand whether these different actors share similar views on what represents QoC.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A qualitative study was conducted. The study consisted in 44 semi-structured individual interviews (11 doctors; 23 nurses; 10 patients) and in three focus groups (20 participants: doctors, nurses, patients). Participants were doctors, nurses and patients from several Hospitals in Portugal. Data were analysed using content analysis methodology with MaxQDA software.

RESULTS

The main content analysis' results revealed that all participants emphasize technical and interpersonal dimensions of QoC. Nevertheless, professionals stressed the availability of equipment and supplies and the conditions of health care indoor facilities. Patients focused more on their access to health services, namely the availability of health professionals, and on the health status outcome after care. In what the differences between doctors and nurses are concerned, the former tend to highlight the technical aspects of care more than the nurses, who tend to refer interpersonal aspects immediately.

CONCLUSIONS

Although nowadays the importance of health care quality has become well-recognized, its definition is still complex. Given that specific aspects are more valued by certain groups than others, it is important to take in consideration all the stakeholder's perspectives when measuring QoC in order to continuously improve it in the 'real' settings.

Longitudinal trends in discharge patterns of orthognathic surgeries: is there a regionalization of procedures in teaching hospitals?

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine if there is regionalization of orthognathic surgeries to teaching hospitals during the study period.

STUDY DESIGN

The Nationwide Inpatient Sample for years 2000-2008 was used. Every hospitalization that had an orthognathic surgery was selected. Patient and hospital level variables were examined. The odds of an orthognathic surgery procedure being performed in a teaching hospital over the study period was computed with the use of a multivariable logistic regression model.

RESULTS

During the study period, a total of 108,264 hospitalizations underwent orthognathic surgeries in the United States. The average age ranged from 27 years during the years 2006-2008 to 28.2 years during the years 2000-2002. After adjusting for multiple patient and hospital level factors, the year of procedure was not a significant predictor of increasing odds of an orthognathic surgery being performed in a teaching hospital.

CONCLUSIONS

There is no evidence of concentration of orthognathic surgical procedures in teaching hospitals.

Nurse reported quality of care: a measure of hospital quality

As the primary providers of round-the-clock bedside care, nurses are well positioned to report on hospital quality of care. Researchers have not examined how nurses' reports of quality correspond with standard process or outcomes measures of quality. We assess the validity of evaluating hospital quality by aggregating hospital nurses' responses to a single item that asks them to report on quality of care. We found that a 10% increment in the proportion of nurses reporting excellent quality of care was associated with lower odds of mortality and failure to rescue; greater patient satisfaction; and higher composite process of care scores for acute myocardial infarction, pneumonia, and surgical patients. Nurse reported quality of care is a useful indicator of hospital performance.

The longer the shifts for hospital nurses, the higher the levels of burnout and patient dissatisfaction

Extended work shifts of twelve hours or longer are common and even popular with hospital staff nurses, but little is known about how such extended hours affect the care that patients receive or the well-being of nurses. Survey data from nurses in four states showed that more than 80 percent of the nurses were satisfied with scheduling practices at their hospital. However, as the proportion of hospital nurses working shifts of more than thirteen hours increased, patients' dissatisfaction with care increased. Furthermore, nurses working shifts of ten hours or longer were up to two and a half times more likely than nurses working shorter shifts to experience burnout and job dissatisfaction and to intend to leave the job. Extended shifts undermine nurses' well-being, may result in expensive job turnover, and can negatively affect patient care. Policies regulating work hours for nurses, similar to those set for resident physicians, may be warranted. Nursing leaders should also encourage workplace cultures that respect nurses' days off and vacation time, promote nurses' prompt departure at the end of a shift, and allow nurses to refuse to work overtime without retribution.

Impact of academic affiliation on radical cystectomy outcomes in North America: A population-based study

BACKGROUND

: The objective of this study was to examine the rates of blood transfusions, prolonged length of stay, intraoperative and postoperative complications, as well as in-hospital mortality, stratified according to institutional academic status in patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC).

METHODS

: Within the Health Care Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), we focused on patients in whom RC was performed between 1998 and 2007. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were fitted to predict the likelihood of blood transfusions, prolonged length of stay, intraoperative and postoperative complications, and in-hospital mortality. Covariates included age, race, gender, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), hospital region, insurance status, annual hospital caseload (AHC), year of surgery and urinary diversion.

RESULTS

: Overall, 12 262 patients underwent RC. Of those, 7892 (64.4%) were from academic institutions. Patients treated at academic institutions were younger and healthier at baseline (all p < 0.001). RCs performed at academic institutions were associated with fewer postoperative complications (28.8% vs. 32.9%, p < 0.001), shorter length of stay (54.0% vs. 56.2%, p = 0.02) and lower in-hospital mortality rates (2.1 vs. 3.0%, p = 0.002). In multivariable analyses, patients who underwent RC at an academic hospital were 12% less likely to succumb to postoperative complications (odds ratio=0.88, p = 0.003).

INTERPRETATION

: Even after adjusting for AHC, RCs performed at academic institutions are associated with better postoperative outcomes than RCs performed at non-academic institutions. From a public health prospective, performing RCs at academic institutions may help reduce costs associated with the management of complications and prolonged length of stay.

Postacute rehabilitation care for hip fracture: who gets the most care?

OBJECTIVES

To determine the extent to which demographic and geographic disparities exist in postacute rehabilitation care (PARC) use after hip fracture.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional analysis of 2 years (2005-06) of population-based hospital discharge data.

SETTING

All short-term acute care hospitals in four demographically and geographically diverse states (AZ, FL, NJ, WI).

PARTICIPANTS

Individuals aged 65 and older (mean 82.9) admitted to the hospital with a hip fracture who survived their inpatient stay (N = 64,065). The sample was 75.1% female and 91.5% white, 5.8% Hispanic, and 2.7% black.

MEASUREMENTS

Whether the participant received institutional PARC; for participants who did not receive institutional care, whether they received home health (HH) care; and for participants who received institutional care, whether they received skilled nursing facility (SNF) or inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) care. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify demographic and geographic disparities in PARC use.

RESULTS

Considering PARC on a continuum from more to fewer hours of care per day (IRF→SNF→HH→no HH), minorities and individuals of lower socioeconomic status (SES) generally received a lower volume of care. Individuals on Medicaid or who were uninsured were less likely to receive institutional care (odds ratio (OR) = 0.23, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.18-0.30) and to receive HH (OR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.30-0.70) and more likely to receive SNF than IRF care (OR = 2.03, 95% CI = 1.36-3.05). Hispanics were less likely to receive institutional care (OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.62-0.79), and Hispanics (OR = 1.31) and blacks (OR = 1.49) were more likely to receive SNF than IRF care. There were also geographic differences in PARC.

CONCLUSION

Several demographic and geographic disparities in PARC use were identified. Future research should confirm these findings and further elucidate factors that contribute to the observed disparities.

Impact of teaching intensity and academic status on medical resource utilization by teaching hospitals in Japan

Teaching hospitals require excess medical resources to maintain high-quality care and medical education. To evaluate the appropriateness of such surplus costs, we examined the impact of teaching intensity defined as activities for postgraduate training, and academic status as functions of medical research and undergraduate teaching on medical resource utilization. Administrative data for 47,397 discharges from 40 academic and 12 non-academic teaching hospitals in Japan were collected. Hospitals were classified into three groups according to intern/resident-to-bed (IRB) ratio. Resource utilization of medical services was estimated using fee-for-service charge schedules and normalized with case mix grouping. 15-24% more resource utilization for laboratory examinations, radiological imaging, and medications were observed in hospitals with higher IRB ratios. With multivariate adjustment for case mix and academic status, higher IRB ratios were associated with 10-15% more use of radiological imaging, injections, and medications; up to 5% shorter hospital stays; and not with total resource utilization. Conversely, academic status was associated with 21-33% more laboratory examinations, radiological imaging, and medications; 13% longer hospital stays; and 10% more total resource utilization. While differences in medical resource utilization by teaching intensity may not be associated with indirect educational costs, those by academic status may be. Therefore, academic hospitals may need efficiency improvement and financial compensation.

Associations between hospital and patient characteristics and breast cancer patients' satisfaction with nursing staff

BACKGROUND

Only a few studies have investigated the association between hospital characteristics and breast cancer patients' satisfaction with nursing staff.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine whether the satisfaction of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients with nursing staff correlates with hospital characteristics after taking the relevant patient characteristics into account.

METHODS

Multilevel regression analysis was applied, combining survey data from newly diagnosed breast cancer patients regarding their characteristics and satisfaction with nursing staff with data on the characteristics of the hospitals in which the patients were treated.

RESULTS

Data from 2945 patients from 81 hospitals were analyzed in multilevel logistic regression models. The patients were significantly more likely to be satisfied with the nursing staff in hospitals that employed breast care nurses (BCNs) at the time of the survey. At the patient level, patients were significantly more likely to be satisfied with nursing staff if the patients were native speakers and rated their own health more highly. Cross-level interaction analysis suggested that the increased patient satisfaction with nursing staff that resulted from employing BCNs was largely limited to native German-speaking patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The results demonstrate that patient satisfaction with nursing staff is higher if BCNs are employed in the treatment hospital. However, only the satisfaction of native speakers was significantly higher when BCNs were employed.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

These findings suggest that hospitals should invest in employing specialist nurses. Special attention should be paid to the care of non-native-speaking patients.

Hospitalist utilization and hospital performance on 6 publicly reported patient outcomes

BACKGROUND

The increase in hospitalist-provided inpatient care may be accompanied by an expectation of improvement on patient outcomes. To date, the association between utilization of hospitalists and the publicly reported patient outcomes is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

Assess the relationship between hospitalist utilization and performance on 6 publicly reported patient outcomes.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

PARTICIPANTS

Representatives of 598 hospitals in the United States with direct knowledge of inpatient service models.

INTERVENTION

Survey of hospital personnel with knowledge of hospitalist use and hospitalist programs.

MEASUREMENTS

Six publicly reported quality outcome measures across 3 medical conditions: acute myocardial infarction (AMI), congestive heart failure (HF), and pneumonia. Using multivariable regression models, we assessed the relationship between presence of hospitalists and performance on each outcome measure; we further assessed the relationship between the percentage of patients admitted by hospitalists and each outcome measure.

RESULTS

Of 598 respondents, 429 (72%) reported the use of hospitalist services. In the comparison of hospitals with and without hospitalists, there was no statistically significant difference on any of the mortality or readmissions measures with the exception of the risk-stratified readmission rate for heart failure. For hospitals that used hospitalists, there was no significant change in any of the outcome measures with increasing percentage of patients admitted by hospitalists.

CONCLUSIONS

The presence of hospitalists is not an independent predictor of performance on publicly reported mortality and readmissions measures for AMI, HF, or pneumonia. It is likely that broader system or organizational interventions are required to improve performance on patient outcomes.

Examination of hospital characteristics and patient quality outcomes using four inpatient quality indicators and 30-day all-cause mortality

The study objective was to examine hospital mortality outcomes and structure using 2008 patient-level discharges from general community hospitals. Discharges from Florida administrative files were merged to the state mortality registry. A cross-sectional analysis of inpatient mortality was conducted using Inpatient Quality Indicators (IQIs) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), congestive heart failure (CHF), stroke, pneumonia, and all-payer 30-day postdischarge mortality. Structural characteristics included bed size, volume, ownership, teaching status, and system affiliation. Outcomes were risk adjusted using 3M APR-DRG. Volume was inversely correlated with AMI, CHF, stroke, and 30-day mortality. Similarities and differences in the direction and magnitude of the relationship of structural characteristics to 30-day postdischarge and IQI mortality measures were observed. Hospital volume was inversely correlated with inpatient mortality outcomes. Other hospital characteristics were associated with some mortality outcomes. Further study is needed to understand the relationship between 30-day postdischarge mortality and hospital quality.

Pediatric high-impact conditions in the United States: retrospective analysis of hospitalizations and associated resource use

BACKGROUND

Child mortality in the United States has decreased over time, with advance in biomedicine. Little is known about patterns of current pediatric health care delivery for children with the leading causes of child death (high-impact conditions). We described patient and hospital characteristics, and hospital resource use, among children hospitalized with high-impact conditions, according to illness severity.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study of children 0-18 years of age, hospitalized with discharge diagnoses of the ten leading causes of child death, excluding diagnoses not amenable to hospital care, using the 2006 version of the Kid's Inpatient Database. National estimates of average and cumulative hospital length of stay and total charges were compared between types of hospitals according to patient illness severity, which was measured using all-patient refined diagnosis related group severity classification into minor-moderate, major, and extreme severity.

RESULTS

There were an estimated 3,084,548 child hospitalizations nationally for high-impact conditions in 2006, distributed evenly among hospital types. Most (84.4%) had minor-moderate illness severity, 12.2% major severity, and 3.4% were extremely ill. Most (64%) of the extremely ill were hospitalized at children's hospitals. Mean hospital stay was longest among the extremely ill (32.8 days), compared with major (9.8 days, p < 0.0001), or minor-moderate (3.4 days, p < 0.001) illness severity. Mean total hospital charges for the extremely ill were also significantly higher than for hospitalizations with major or minor-moderate severity. Among the extremely ill, more frequent hospitalization at children's hospitals resulted in higher annual cumulative charges among children's hospitals ($ 7.4 billion), compared with non-children teaching hospitals ($ 3.2 billion, p = 0.023), and non-children's non-teaching hospitals ($ 1.5 billion, p < 0.001). Cumulative annual length of hospital stay followed the same pattern, according to hospital type.

CONCLUSION

Gradation of increasing illness severity among children hospitalized for high-impact conditions was associated with concomitantly increased resource consumption. These findings have significant implications for children's hospitals which appear to accrue the highest resource use burden due to preferential hospitalization of the most severely ill at these hospitals.

Do physician organizations located in lower socioeconomic status areas score lower on pay-for-performance measures?

BACKGROUND

Physician organizations (POs)--independent practice associations and medical groups--located in lower socioeconomic status (SES) areas may score poorly in pay-for-performance (P4P) programs.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association between PO location and P4P performance.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study; Integrated Healthcare Association's (IHA's) P4P Program, the largest non-governmental, multi-payer program for POs in the U.S.

PARTICIPANTS

160 POs participating in 2009.

MAIN MEASURES

We measured PO SES using established methods that involved geo-coding 11,718 practice sites within 160 POs to their respective census tracts and weighting tract-specific SES according to the number of primary care physicians at each site. P4P performance was defined by IHA's program and was a composite mainly representing clinical quality, but also including measures of patient experience, information technology and registry use.

KEY RESULTS

The area-based PO SES measure ranged from -11 to +11 (mean 0, SD 5), and the IHA P4P performance score ranged from 23 to 86 (mean 69, SD 15). In bivariate analysis, there was a significant positive relationship between PO SES and P4P performance (p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, a one standard deviation increase in PO SES was associated with a 44% increase (relative risk 1.44, 95%CI, 1.22-1.71) in the likelihood of a PO being ranked in the top two quintiles of performance (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Physician organizations' performance scores in a major P4P program vary by the SES of the areas in which their practice sites are located. P4P programs that do not account for this are likely to pay higher bonuses to POs in higher SES areas, thus increasing the resource gap between these POs and POs in lower SES areas, which may increase disparities in the care they provide.

Quality of care for myocardial infarction at academic and nonacademic hospitals

BACKGROUND

Whether academic hospitals provide better quality of care for patients with acute myocardial infarction is widely debated. The aim of this study was to compare processes of care and mortality between academic and nonacademic hospitals in the contemporary era of acute myocardial infarction management.

METHODS

We analyzed the original data from a prospective cohort study of 3059 patients, including 1714 with ST-segment elevation and 1345 with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, enrolled at 39 and 183 academic and nonacademic hospitals, respectively, in France.

RESULTS

Unadjusted 1-year mortality for academic and nonacademic hospitals was 10% versus 15% for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (P=.01) and 13% versus 14% for patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (P=.75). Patients treated in academic or nonacademic hospitals with percutaneous coronary intervention capability were more likely to receive reperfusion and recommended drug therapies than those treated in nonacademic hospitals without percutaneous coronary intervention capability. After adjusting for baseline characteristics, the hazards of death associated with admission to nonacademic hospitals with and without percutaneous coronary intervention capability relative to academic hospitals were 1.13 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79-1.62) and 1.65 (95% CI, 1.09-2.49) for those with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and 0.95 (95% CI, 0.66-1.36) and 1.06 (95% CI, 0.72-1.58) for those with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, respectively. Further adjustment for receipt of acute reperfusion and recommended drug therapies eliminated all differences in mortality between the study groups.

CONCLUSION

Admission to academic hospitals was associated with a more frequent use of recommended therapies, conveying a survival advantage for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Delivery of physical therapy in the acute care setting: a population-based study

BACKGROUND

Population-based studies on physical therapy use in acute care are lacking.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to examine population-based, hospital discharge data from North Carolina to describe the demographic and diagnostic characteristics of individuals who receive physical therapy and, for common diagnostic subgroups, to identify factors associated with the receipt of and intensity of physical therapy use.

DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study.

METHODS

Hospital discharge data for 2006-2007 from the 128 acute care hospitals in the state were examined to identify the most common diagnoses that receive physical therapy and to describe the characteristics of physical therapy users. For 2 of the most common diagnoses, logistic and linear regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with the receipt and intensity of physical therapy.

RESULTS

Of the more than 2 million people treated in acute care hospitals, 22.5% received physical therapy (mean age=66 years; 58% female). Individuals with osteoarthritis (admitted for joint replacement) and stroke were 2 of the most common patient types to receive physical therapy. Almost all individuals admitted for a joint replacement received physical therapy, with little between-hospital variation. Between-hospital variation in physical therapy use for stroke was greater. Demographic and hospital-related factors were associated with physical therapy use and physical therapy intensity for both diagnoses, after controlling for illness severity and comorbidities.

LIMITATIONS

Data from only one state were examined, and the studied variables were limited.

CONCLUSIONS

The use and intensity of physical therapy for stroke and joint replacement in acute care hospitals in North Carolina vary by clinical and nonclinical factors. Reasons behind the association of hospital characteristics and physical therapy use need further investigation.

Patient and hospital characteristics associated with traditional measures of inpatient quality of care for patients with heart failure

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to determine patient and hospital characteristics associated with 4 measures of quality of inpatient heart failure care used by both the primary payer of heart failure care in the United States (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services) and the main hospital accrediting organization (The Joint Commission).

METHODS

We used data from Get With The Guidelines Program for patients hospitalized with heart failure. Eligibility for receiving care based on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services performance measures was determined for assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF; n = 60,601), use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) if LVEF<40% and no contraindications (24,130), discharge instructions (49,383), and smoking cessation counseling (10,152). Patient and hospital characteristics that were significantly associated with performance measures in univariate analyses were entered into multivariate logistic regression models.

RESULTS

Overall, documentation for LVEF assessment was noted in 95%, ACEi/ARB use in 87%, discharge instruction in 82%, and smoking cessation counseling in 91% of eligible patients. In adjusted analyses, older patients and those with evidence of renal failure were significantly less likely to receive each care measure except for discharge instructions (no age effect). Patients with higher body mass index were more likely to receive ACEi/ARB and discharge instructions but less likely to have LVEF documented or to receive smoking cessation counseling. Small hospitals (<200 beds) were less likely to provide each of the performance measures compared with larger hospitals.

CONCLUSION

Recommended heart failure care is less likely in patients with certain characteristics (older age and abnormal renal function) and those cared for in smaller hospitals. Programs to improve evidence-based care for heart failure should consider interventions specifically targeting and tailored to smaller facilities and patients who are older with comorbidities.

Effects of Hospital Workplace Factors on the Psychological Well-being and Job Satisfaction of Health Care Employees

The study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effects of perception of the hospital workplace factors on the job satisfaction and psychological well-being of a sample of paramedical health care employees (N =200) from a medical college (teaching) hospital and public (non-teaching) government-run hospitals. Statistical analysis of the data revealed that despite significant differences in perceived work-place factors, the reported levels of psychological well-being and job satisfaction of the participants were nearly similar in the two types of public hospitals. Stepwise regression analysis of the data revealed that the organization’s structure-related factors, co-ordination and work autonomy were significantly predictive of job satisfaction and psychological well-being of health care employees, while the process-related workplace factors, participative decision making and intra-professional relations, emerged as significant predictors of psychological well-being and job satisfaction in both types of hospitals. Results have significant implications for public hospitals which are currently facing competition from the state-of-the-art health care technology being introduced by private hospitals, and are therefore under pressure for retention of skilled health care employees.

In-house information about and contact with self-help groups in breast cancer patients: associated with patient and hospital characteristics?

The number of breast cancer patients who are informed about and have contact with patient self-help groups (SHGs) during their hospital stay varies across hospitals. The aim of this study is to investigate which patient and hospital characteristics contribute to these differences. Multilevel regression analysis was applied, using data on hospital characteristics and data from a patient survey, which catalogued the disease and socio-demographic characteristics of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, and recorded if they were informed about and had contact with SHGs during their hospital stay. Data from 2639 patients from 82 hospitals were analysed. The odds of being informed about SHGs were significantly lower if patients were treated at a teaching hospital. Patients aged 40 to 59 years significantly more often reported that they were informed about SHGs than patients aged 60 to 69 years. Patients with the highest education certificates significantly more often reported that they both were informed about and have had contact with SHGs. These results suggest that in teaching hospitals, information provided to patients about SHGs is reduced. Furthermore, patients are differentially given information about SHGs and have different levels of contact with SHGs, based on their age and education.

Radical prostatectomy at academic versus nonacademic institutions: a population based analysis

PURPOSE

Radical prostatectomy outcomes may be better at academic institutions than at nonacademic centers. We examined the effect of academic status on 5 short-term radical prostatectomy outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In the Health Care Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample we focused on radical prostatectomy performed within the 7 most contemporary years (2001 to 2007). We tested the rates of homologous blood transfusions and extended length of stay, as well as intraoperative and postoperative complications stratified according to institutional academic status. Multivariable logistic regression analyses further adjusted for confounding variables.

RESULTS

Overall 89,965 radical prostatectomies were identified, yielding a weighted national estimate of 442,811. Of those procedures 58.2% were recorded at academic institutions. Patients at academic institutions had a lower Charlson comorbidity index and more frequently had private insurance (p <0.001). Radical prostatectomy at academic institutions was associated with fewer blood transfusions (5.4% vs 7.4%), fewer postoperative complications (10.1% vs 12.9%) and lower rates of hospital stay above the median (18.0% vs 28.2%). On multivariable analyses institutional academic status exerted a protective effect on postoperative complication rates (OR 0.93, p = 0.02) and on rates of hospital stay in excess of the median (OR 0.91, p <0.001). Similarly radical prostatectomy performed at hospitals with a high annual caseload were less frequently associated with intraoperative (OR 0.8, p = 0.01) and postoperative (OR 0.63, p <0.001) complications, length of stay beyond the median (OR 0.19, p <0.001) and homologous blood transfusions (OR 0.35, p <0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Even after adjusting for annual hospital caseload, radical prostatectomy performed at academic institutions is associated with better outcomes than radical prostatectomy performed at nonacademic institutions. This relationship illustrates averages and does not imply that academic institutions invariably offer better care.

Predictors of inpatient complications and outcomes following surgical resection of hypothalamic hamartomas

Background:

Our aim was to identify the preoperative factors associated with a greater risk of poor inpatient outcomes in those undergoing resection of hypothalamic hamartomas.

Methods:

We performed a multi-institutional retrospective cohort analysis via the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (1998 – 2007). Patients of any age who underwent resection of hypothalamic hamartomas were identified by ICD-9 coding. The primary outcomes included inpatient complications, length of stay (LOS), and total charges. Multivariate regression models were constructed to analyze the outcomes.

Results:

Two hundred and eighty-two patients were identified with a mean age of 27.7 years, with most being male (53.2%), Caucasian (78.9%), privately insured (69.3%), and treated electively (74.7%) at academic centers (91.7%). A majority (82.2%) had Elixhauser comorbidity scores of < 1, indicating few comorbidities. No inpatient deaths were reported. Mean LOS was 7.39 days and the mean total hospital charges were $53,935. Overall, 19.5% developed an inpatient complication, primarily stroke (16.7%). Female gender, ethnic / racial minorities, higher comorbidity scores, private insurance, and non-academic hospitals were associated with greater LOS and total charges. Private insurance (Odds Ratio, OR: 1.59, P = 0.045) and academic hospitals (OR: 1.43, P = 0.008) were associated with significantly higher odds of any complication. Minority race / ethnicity was associated with a minimal increase in the odds of postoperative stroke (OR: 1.02, P < 0.001) relative to Caucasians.

Conclusions

Through an analysis of a 10-year multi-institutional database, we have described the surgical outcomes of patients undergoing resection of hypothalamic hamartomas. Results demonstrate significant inpatient morbidity, particularly postoperative stroke. Patient- and institution-level factors should be considered in determining the perioperative risk for such patients.

Disparities in post-acute rehabilitation care for joint replacement

OBJECTIVE

To determine the extent to which demographic and geographic disparities exist in the use of post-acute rehabilitation care (PARC) for joint replacement.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 2 years (2005 and 2006) of population-based hospital discharge data from 392 hospitals in 4 states (Arizona, Florida, New Jersey, and Wisconsin). A total of 164,875 individuals who were age ≥ 45 years, admitted to the hospital for a hip or knee joint replacement, and who survived their inpatient stay were identified. Three dichotomous dependent variables were examined: 1) discharge to home versus institution (i.e., skilled nursing facility [SNF] or inpatient rehabilitation facility [IRF]), 2) discharge to home with versus without home health (HH), and 3) discharge to an SNF versus an IRF. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify demographic and geographic disparities in PARC use, controlling for illness severity/comorbidities, hospital characteristics, and PARC supply. Interactions among race, socioeconomic, and geographic variables were explored.

RESULTS

Considering PARC as a continuum from more to less intensive care in regard to hours of rehabilitation per day (e.g., IRF→SNF→HH→no HH), the uninsured received less intensive care in all 3 models. Individuals receiving Medicaid and those of lower socioeconomic status received less intensive care in the HH versus no HH and SNF versus IRF models. Individuals living in rural areas received less intensive care in the institution versus home and HH versus no HH models. The effect of race was modified by insurance and by state. In most instances, minorities received less intensive care. PARC use varied by hospital.

CONCLUSION

Efforts to further understand the reasons behind these disparities and their effect on outcomes are needed.

Disparities in postacute rehabilitation care for stroke: an analysis of the state inpatient databases

OBJECTIVE

To determine the extent to which sociodemographic and geographic disparities exist in the use of postacute rehabilitation care (PARC) after stroke.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional analysis of data for 2 years (2005-2006) from the State Inpatient Databases.

SETTING

All short-term acute-care hospitals in 4 demographically and geographically diverse states.

PARTICIPANTS

Individuals (age, ≥45y; mean age, 72.6y) with a primary diagnosis of stroke who survived their inpatient stay (N=187,188). The sample was 52.4% women, 79.5% white, 11.4% black, and 9.1% Hispanic.

INTERVENTIONS

Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

(1) Discharge to an institution versus home. (2) For those discharged to home, receipt of home health (HH) versus no HH care. (3) For those discharged to an institution, receipt of inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) or skilled nursing facility (SNF) care. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify sociodemographic and geographic disparities in PARC use, controlling for illness severity/comorbid conditions, hospital characteristics, and PARC supply.

RESULTS

Blacks, women, older individuals, and those with lower incomes were more likely to receive institutional care; Hispanics and the uninsured were less likely. Racial minorities, women, older individuals, and those with lower incomes were more likely to receive HH care; uninsured individuals were less likely. Blacks, women, older individuals, the uninsured, and those with lower incomes were more likely to receive SNF versus IRF care. PARC use varied significantly by hospital and geographic location.

CONCLUSIONS

Several sociodemographic and geographic disparities in PARC use were identified.

Critical care in Colombia: differences between teaching and nonteaching intensive care units. A prospective cohort observational study

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine the differences in the efficacy and efficiency in providing critical care to hospitalized patients in teaching vs nonteaching intensive care units (ICUs) in Colombia.

METHODS

A prospective cohort observational study was conducted.

LOCATION

This study was conducted in 11 teaching and 8 nonteaching ICUs. From June 1 until December 31, 2005, data on 826 patients admitted consecutively to teaching ICUs and 825 patients admitted to nonteaching ICUs were analyzed.

MEASUREMENTS

Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II, Simplified Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System, ICU discharge status (dead or alive) and ICU length of stay, and standardized mortality ratios were considered in this study. A logistic regression and robust linear regression were performed.

RESULTS

There were no differences in mortality (P = .25). Standardized mortality was less than 1 for both types of units. The teaching ICUs length of stay was 1 day longer (P < .01). Resource use is 25% higher in teaching units (P = .01). When the Simplified Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System score on the last day was from 21 to 35, a higher ratio of patients from the nonteaching ICUs was observed going floor or home when discharged from the ICU (P < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

Nonteaching ICUs discharge patients earlier than do teaching ICUs, but the effect of it remains to be clarified with further studies addressing questions as what happens after ICU discharge.

The influence of resident involvement on surgical outcomes

BACKGROUND

Although the training of surgical residents is often considered in national policy addressing complications and safety, the influence of resident intraoperative involvement on surgical outcomes has not been well studied.

STUDY DESIGN

We identified 607,683 surgical cases from 234 hospitals from the 2006 to 2009 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP). Outcomes were compared by resident involvement for all general and vascular cases as well as for specific general surgical procedures.

RESULTS

After typical ACS NSQIP comorbidity risk adjustment and further adjustment for hospital teaching status and operative time in modeling, resident intraoperative involvement was associated with slightly increased morbidity when assessing overall general or vascular procedures (odds ratio [OR] 1.06; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.09), pancreatectomy or esophagectomy (OR 1.26; 95% CI 1.08 to 1.45), and colorectal resections (OR 1.15; 95% CI 1.09 to 1.22). In contrast, for mortality, resident intraoperative involvement was associated with reductions for overall general and vascular procedures (OR 0.91; 95% CI 0.84 to 0.99), colorectal resections (OR 0.88; 95% CI 0.78 to 0.99), and abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (OR 0.71; 95% CI 0.53 to 0.95). Results were moderated somewhat after hierarchical modeling was performed to account for hospital-level variation, with mortality results no longer reaching significance (overall morbidity OR 1.07; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.10, overall mortality OR 0.97; 95% CI 0.90 to 1.05). Based on risk-adjusted event rates, resident intraoperative involvement is associated with approximately 6.1 additional morbidity events but 1.4 fewer deaths per 1,000 general and vascular surgery procedures.

CONCLUSIONS

Resident intraoperative participation is associated with slightly higher morbidity rates but slightly decreased mortality rates across a variety of procedures and is minimized further after taking into account hospital-level variation. These clinically small effects may serve to reassure patients and others that resident involvement in surgical care is safe and possibly protective with regard to mortality.

Admissions for CABG procedure in the elderly: was there a change in access to teaching hospitals after 1997?

The purpose of the study is to identify patient attributes associated with teaching hospital admissions in the elderly for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), and to determine whether admission patterns in teaching hospitals by vulnerable subgroups of the elderly changed during 1997 to 2001, a period with significant changes in CABG admission patterns and financial situation faced by teaching hospitals. The study sample comprises elderly residents in two states, New York and Pennsylvania, and uses Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient data of the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. Patient characteristics in major teaching hospitals are compared with those in rest of hospitals in a logistic regression framework using a pre-/postdesign, and controlling for county characteristics and resources, distance to hospitals, and hospital size and volume of procedures. Significant patient characteristics associated with a higher likelihood of admission to teaching hospitals included racial/ethnic minority status, transfer cases, Medicaid and private health maintenance organization insurance. A lower volume of CABG cases and an increased propensity to admit more complex cases characterized the admission patterns in teaching hospitals during 1997 to 2001. Although higher use of teaching hospitals by racial/ethnic minorities persisted, access for Medicaid patients disproportionately declined.

A multi-institutional comparison of pediatric appendicitis outcomes between teaching and nonteaching hospitals

OBJECTIVE

In this era of heightened emphasis on patient outcomes, it is important to document the effect of residents acting as the surgeon for a surgical procedure. This study compares the outcomes of appendicitis between teaching and nonteaching institutions.

DESIGN

A retrospective review from 1998 to 2007 was performed. The study outcomes were postoperative morbidity and length of hospitalization (LOH). Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon rank-sum test and χ(2) analysis.

SETTING

Two teaching institutions (each with its own General Surgery residency program) were compared with 10 nonteaching institutions.

RESULTS

A total of 1472 patients were treated at the teaching institutions (mean age = 9.8 years, male = 63%), and 6431 patients were treated at the nonteaching institutions (mean age = 10.8 years, male = 62%). The perforated appendicitis rate was 37% at the teaching institutions and 30% at the nonteaching institutions (p < 0.0001). For nonperforated appendicitis, a higher rate of laparoscopic appendectomy was found at the nonteaching institutions versus the teaching institutions (39% vs 52%, p < 0.0001). Otherwise, no difference was noted in the rate of wound infection, postoperative abscess drainage, or readmissions between the institutions. The LOH was also similar. For perforated appendicitis, a lower wound infection (5.2% vs 8.2%, p = 0.03) and readmission (5.6% vs 9.7%, p = 0.004) rate was found at the teaching institutions. No differences were discovered in the incidence of postoperative abscess drainage or LOH between teaching versus nonteaching hospitals. Perforated appendicitis was managed nonoperatively more commonly at the teaching institutions (7.4% vs 12.8%, p = 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Postoperative morbidity was similar in children with nonperforated appendicitis and lower in children with perforated appendicitis at teaching institutions. LOH was similar between teaching and nonteaching institutions. Overall, the presence of surgical trainees had no adverse impact on the quality of care for children with appendicitis.

Quality-of-life and surgical treatments for rectal cancer--a longitudinal analysis using the California Cancer Registry

BACKGROUND

Heterogeneous results for research investigating health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients undergoing sphincter-ablating procedures for rectal cancer are likely due to single institution experiences and measurement of HRQL. To address this heterogeneity, we evaluated HRQL in patients with rectal cancer by type of surgery, location of tumor, and receipt of adjuvant therapy using an HRQL instrument that has not been used to address rectal cancer patients in a population-based sample over time.

METHODS

The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Colorectal instrument was administered at 9 and 19 months after diagnosis to a consecutive sample of 160 patients in Northern California identified by the California Cancer Registry. A broad multidimensional interpretation of HRQL was used to examine the impact of tumor location and treatment status, stage of disease, age, and gender.

RESULTS

In general, men had lower social well-being scores, and younger patients had lower physical and emotional well-being scores and colorectal concerns scores. We found no differences in HRQL by either tumor location or type of surgery, at either 9 or 19 months after diagnosis. Lower physical well-being and greater adverse colorectal concerns were reported at 9 months among patients who received adjuvant therapy; however, only adverse colorectal concerns persisted over time.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides additional evidence that sphincter-ablating procedures do not necessarily reduce quality of life in patients with rectal cancer. Distinctive features of this study include a broad multidimensional interpretation of HRQL, the 19 months of longitudinal follow-up, and a prospective population-based study design.

Risk factors for hospital-acquired 'poor glycemic control': a case-control study

OBJECTIVE

To determine the patient and hospital characteristics associated with severe manifestations of 'poor glycemic control'-a 'no-pay' hospital-acquired condition defined by the US Medicare program based on hospital claims related to severe complications of diabetes.

DESIGN

A nested case-control study.

SETTING

California acute care hospitals from 2005 to 2006.

PARTICIPANTS

All cases (n= 261) with manifestations of poor glycemic control not present on admission admitted to California acute care hospitals from 2005 to 2006 and 261 controls were matched (1:1) using administrative data for age, sex, major diagnostic category and severity of illness.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for experiencing poor glycemic control.

RESULTS

Deaths (16 vs. 9%, P= 0.01) and total costs ($26,125 vs. $18,233, P= 0.026) were significantly higher among poor glycemic control cases. Risk-adjusted conditional logistic regression revealed that each additional chronic condition increased the odds of poor glycemic control by 12% (OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.04-1.22). The interaction of registered nurse staffing and hospital teaching status suggested that in non-teaching hospitals, each additional nursing hour per adjusted patient day significantly reduced the odds of poor glycemic control by 16% (OR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.73-0.96). Nurse staffing was not significant in teaching hospitals (OR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.88-1.11).

CONCLUSIONS

Severe poor glycemic control complications are relatively rare but meaningful events with disproportionately high costs and mortality. Increasing nurse staffing may be an effective strategy in reducing poor glycemic control complications particularly in non-teaching hospitals.

Quality of US primary care delivered by resident and staff physicians

BACKGROUND

Few population-based data are available on the quality of outpatient care provided by resident physicians in the US.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the quality of outpatient care delivered by resident and staff physicians.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional analysis. We used chi-square tests to compare resident and staff physician performance on 19 quality indicators. Using multivariable logistic regression, we controlled for sex, age, race/ethnicity, insurance, and metropolitan status.

PARTICIPANTS

33,900 hospital-based outpatient visits from the 1997-2004 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS).

MEASUREMENTS

Resident and staff physician performance on 19 quality indicators.

RESULTS

Resident physicians were more likely to care for younger, non-white, female, urban, and Medicaid-insured patients. In both adjusted and unadjusted analyses, residents outperformed staff on four of 19 measures including angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor use for congestive heart failure (57.0% vs. 27.6%; p=<0.001), diuretic use for hypertension (57.8% vs. 44.0%; p=<0.001), statin use for hyperlipidemia (56.3% vs. 40.4%; p=0.001), and routine blood pressure screening (85.3% vs. 79.6%; p=0.02). Residents and staff performed at similar levels for counseling (range 15.7 to 32.0%). Residents and staff performed similarly well on measures capturing inappropriate prescribing or overuse of diagnostic testing (range 48.6 to 100%). Residents and staff performed similarly on measures of appropriate prescribing (range from 30.9% to 69.2%).

CONCLUSIONS

Primary care provided by resident physicians is of similar or higher quality than that provided by staff physicians. Significant opportunity remains to improve quality of outpatient care provided by all physicians. Residency training programs should devote attention to improving outpatient quality of care delivered by residents.

Characteristics of quality and patient safety curricula in major teaching hospitals

The authors recently discovered 2 quality and patient safety curricula for internal medicine and general surgery residents in major teaching hospitals: an infrequent formal curriculum developed by the university and a positive informal curriculum found in the teaching hospital. A hidden curriculum was postulated. These data were gathered through applied qualitative research methodology. In this article, curricular characteristics of the formal, informal, and hidden curricula are described and analyzed. Themes evaluated were planning, delivery, evaluation, drivers, responsible entity, and resources. The data show different curricular characteristics in each theme, especially for the formal and informal curricula. Understanding curricular characteristics represents the next step in understanding the environments of resident quality and safety learning, especially in the academic hospital setting. Aligning the formal and informal curricula as well as leveraging all curricula could improve educational venues for quality and safety and institutional clinical performance, and promote a learning health care system.

Job satisfaction of primary care team members and quality of care

In recent years, hospitals and payers have increased their efforts to improve the quality of patient care by encouraging provider adherence to evidence-based practices. Although the individual provider is certainly essential in the delivery of appropriate care, a team perspective is important when examining variation in quality. In the present study, the authors modeled the relationship between a measure of aggregate job satisfaction for members of primary care teams and objective measures of quality based on process indicators and intermediate outcomes. Multilevel analyses indicated that aggregate job satisfaction ratings were associated with higher values on both types of quality measures. Team-level job satisfaction ratings are a potentially important marker for the effectiveness of primary care teams in managing patient care.

Performance of Dutch hospitals in the management of splenectomized patients

BACKGROUND

After splenectomy, patients are at increased risk of sepsis with considerable mortality. This risk can be reduced by taking preventive measures, such as prescribing immunizations and antibiotic prophylaxis. Studies from various countries show that a substantial percentage of patients are not managed adequately. The aim of the present study was to investigate the quality of care in the prevention of infections after splenectomy in Dutch hospitals. The research questions were two-fold: (1) Is there an association between hospital teaching status and guideline adherent preventive measures? (2) Which factors contribute to hospital performance?

METHODS

A total of 28 Dutch hospitals (30%) participated in the study. A retrospective review of medical records of 536 splenectomy patients was performed. Adherence to prevention guidelines was assessed for all patients, and analyzed according to teaching status and the presence or absence of a post-splenectomy protocol.

RESULTS

(1) University hospitals in the Netherlands offered higher quality of care than other teaching and nonteaching hospitals. There were only small differences between nonuniversity teaching and nonteaching hospitals. (2) The presence of a hospital post-splenectomy protocol did not improve vaccination rates. Other aspects of practice organization, such as surgical staff size and keeping a complication registry were only weakly related to performance.

CONCLUSIONS

In the Netherlands, university hospitals deliver state-of-the-art care in the prevention of infections in asplenic patients more often than nonuniversity teaching and nonteaching hospitals. The availability of a hospital protocol does not seem to contribute to guideline adherence.

Aggressive treatment style and surgical outcomes

OBJECTIVE

Aggressive treatment style, as defined by the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care, has been implicated as an important factor contributing to excessively high medical expenditures. We aimed to determine the association between aggressive treatment style and surgical outcomes.

DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING

Medicare admissions to 3,065 hospitals for general, orthopedic, and vascular surgery between 2000 and 2005 (N = 4,558,215 unique patients).

STUDY DESIGN

A retrospective cohort analysis.

RESULTS

For elderly surgical patients, aggressive treatment style was not associated with significantly increased complications, but it was associated with significantly reduced odds of mortality and failure-to-rescue. The odds ratio for complications in hospitals at the 75th percentile of aggressive treatment style compared with those at the 25th percentile (a U.S.$10,000 difference) was 1.01 (1.00-1.02), p<.066; whereas the odds of mortality was 0.94 (0.93-0.95), p<.0001; and for failure-to-rescue it was 0.93 (0.92-0.94), p<.0001. Analyses that used alternative measures of aggressiveness--hospital days and ICU days--yielded similar results, as did analyses using only low-variation procedures.

CONCLUSIONS

Attempting to reduce aggressive care that is not cost effective is a laudable goal, but policy makers should be aware that there may be improved outcomes associated with patients undergoing surgery in hospitals with a more aggressive treatment style.

Impact of nursing unit turnover on patient outcomes in hospitals

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to examine how nursing unit turnover affects key workgroup processes and how these processes mediate the impact of nursing turnover on patient outcomes.

METHODS

A secondary data analysis was used to test the hypothesized model. This study used registered nurse and patient data from 268 nursing units at 141 hospitals collected as part of the Outcomes Research in Nursing Administration (ORNA II) project. Nursing units provided monthly nursing unit turnover rates for 6 consecutive months, and registered nurses completed questionnaires measuring workgroup processes (group cohesion, relational coordination, and workgroup learning). Patient outcome measures included unit-level average length of patient stay, patient falls, medication errors, and patient satisfaction scores.

RESULTS

Nursing units with moderate levels of turnover were likely to have lower levels of workgroup learning compared to those with no turnover (p<.01). Nursing units with low levels of turnover were likely to have fewer patient falls than nursing units with no turnover (p<.05). Additionally, workgroup cohesion and relational coordination had a positive impact on patient satisfaction (p<.01), and increased workgroup learning led to fewer occurrences of severe medication errors (p<.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study provide specific information on the operational impact of turnover so as to better design, fund, and implement appropriate intervention strategies to prevent registered nurse exit from nursing units. Further investigation is needed to assess the turnover-outcomes relationship as well as the mediating effect of workgroup processes on this relationship.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Managing nursing unit turnover within appropriate levels at the nursing unit is critical to delivering high-quality patient care.

Presence of medical schools may contribute to reducing breast cancer mortality and disparities

Understanding differences among counties more or less successful in addressing breast cancer (BC) mortality disparities is important. Medical resources may be more available in counties with BC mortality rates (BCMR) low and similar for White and Black women. Based on Black and White BCMR we classified selected counties in four types from failing (high BCMR for both groups of women) to successful (low BCMR for both). Medical resource data were from Area Resource Files. In multivariate analyses, number of physicians or hospitals, HMO penetration, and proportion of hospitals with mammography centers did not predict county type. The proportion of hospitals with medical schools predicted counties being with Black:White disparities vs. with reverse disparities (OR 0.96, CI 0.94-0.99), or being successful vs. failing (OR 1.03, CI 1.00-1.06) or vs. with disparities (OR 1.04, CI 1.01-1.07). Medical resources did not explain county type differences, but type of care available may be important.

National Cancer Institute Cancer Center designation and 30-day mortality for hospitalized, immunocompromised cancer patients

PURPOSE

To examine 30-day mortality and National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation for cancer patients who are immunocompromised and hospitalized.

METHOD

Secondary analysis of 1998 and 1999 hospital claims, cancer registry, and vital statistics (n = 10,370) linked to survey and administrative data from 160 Pennsylvania hospitals. Logistic regression models estimated the effects of NCI designation on the likelihood of 30-day mortality.

RESULTS

NCI-designated centers were associated with a 33% reduction in the likelihood of death, after adjusting for patient, hospital, and nursing characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS

Immunocompromised cancer patients have lower mortality in NCI-designated hospitals. Identification and adoption of care processes from these institutions may improve mortality.

Hospital performance, the local economy, and the local workforce: findings from a US National Longitudinal Study

BACKGROUND

Pay-for-performance is an increasingly popular approach to improving health care quality, and the US government will soon implement pay-for-performance in hospitals nationwide. Yet hospital capacity to perform (and improve performance) likely depends on local resources. In this study, we quantify the association between hospital performance and local economic and human resources, and describe possible implications of pay-for-performance for socioeconomic equity.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

We applied county-level measures of local economic and workforce resources to a national sample of US hospitals (n = 2,705), during the period 2004-2007. We analyzed performance for two common cardiac conditions (acute myocardial infarction [AMI] and heart failure [HF]), using process-of-care measures from the Hospital Quality Alliance [HQA], and isolated temporal trends and the contributions of individual resource dimensions on performance, using multivariable mixed models. Performance scores were translated into net scores for hospitals using the Performance Assessment Model, which has been suggested as a basis for reimbursement under Medicare's "Value-Based Purchasing" program. Our analyses showed that hospital performance is substantially associated with local economic and workforce resources. For example, for HF in 2004, hospitals located in counties with longstanding poverty had mean HQA composite scores of 73.0, compared with a mean of 84.1 for hospitals in counties without longstanding poverty (p<0.001). Hospitals located in counties in the lowest quartile with respect to college graduates in the workforce had mean HQA composite scores of 76.7, compared with a mean of 86.2 for hospitals in the highest quartile (p<0.001). Performance on AMI measures showed similar patterns. Performance improved generally over the study period. Nevertheless, by 2007--4 years after public reporting began--hospitals in locationally disadvantaged areas still lagged behind their locationally advantaged counterparts. This lag translated into substantially lower net scores under the Performance Assessment Model for hospital reimbursement.

CONCLUSIONS

Hospital performance on clinical process measures is associated with the quantity and quality of local economic and human resources. Medicare's hospital pay-for-performance program may exacerbate inequalities across regions, if implemented as currently proposed. Policymakers in the US and beyond may need to take into consideration the balance between greater efficiency through pay-for-performance and socioeconomic equity.

The direct, indirect, and intangible benefits of graduate medical education programs to their sponsoring institutions and communities

Declining reimbursement for graduate medical education (GME) as well as increasing hospital competition has placed the cost of GME in the spotlight of institutional administrators. Traditional hospital-generated cost center profit and loss statements fail to accurately reflect the full economic impact of training programs on the institution as well as the larger community. A more complete analysis would take into consideration the direct, indirect, and "intangible" benefits of GME programs. The GME programs usually have a favorable impact on the trainees themselves, the sponsoring institution, the local community, university sponsors and affiliates, and the greater community, and all of these areas need to be considered in the economic analysis. Complete analyses of programs often demonstrate very positive benefits to their sponsoring institutions that would not be recognized on simple cost center profit and loss reports. Studies in the literature that quantify the net economic benefits of GME programs are consistent in their favorable findings.

Teaching hospital status and operative mortality in the United States: tipping point in the volume-outcome relationship following colon resections?

OBJECTIVE

To compare risk- and volume-adjusted outcomes of colon resections performed at teaching hospitals (THs) vs non-THs to assess whether benign disease may influence the volume-outcome effect.

DESIGN

Retrospective data analysis examining colon resections determined by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification classification performed in the United States from 2001 through 2005 using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) and the Area Resource File (2004). Patient covariates used in adjustment included age, sex, race, Charlson Index comorbidity score, and insurance status. Hospital covariates included TH status, presence of a colorectal surgery fellowship approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, geographical region, institutional volume, and urban vs rural location. County-specific surgeon characteristics used in adjustment included average age of surgeons and proportion of colorectal board-certified surgeons within each county. Environmental or county covariates included median income and percentage of county residents living below the federal poverty level.

SETTING

A total of 1045 hospitals located in 38 states in the United States that were included in the NIS.

PATIENTS

All patients older than 18 years who had colon resection and were discharged from a hospital included in the NIS.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Operative mortality, length of stay (LOS), and total charges.

RESULTS

A total of 115 250 patients were identified, of whom 4371 died (3.8%). The mean LOS was 10 days. Fewer patients underwent surgical resection in THs than in non-THs (46 656 vs 68 589). Teaching hospitals were associated with increased odds of death (odds ratio, 1.14) (P = .03), increased LOS (P = .003), and a nonsignificant trend toward an increase in total charges (P = .36).

CONCLUSIONS

With the inclusion of benign disease, colon surgery displays a volume-outcome relationship in favor of non-THs. Inclusion of benign disease may represent a tipping point.

Hospital characteristics, clinical severity, and outcomes for surgical oncology patients

BACKGROUND

Patients and payers wish to identify hospitals with good surgical oncology outcomes. Our objective was to determine whether differences in outcomes explained by hospital structural characteristics are mitigated by differences in patient severity.

METHODS

Using hospital administrative and cancer registry records in Pennsylvania, we identified 24,618 adults hospitalized for cancer-related operations. Colorectal, prostate, endometrial, ovarian, head and neck, lung, esophageal, and pancreatic cancers were studied. Outcome measures were 30-day mortality and failure to rescue (FTR) (30-day mortality preceded by a complication). After severity of illness adjustment, we estimated logistic regression models to predict the likelihood of both outcomes. In addition to American Hospital Association survey data, we externally verified hospitals with National Cancer Institute (NCI) cancer center or Commission on Cancer (COC) cancer program status.

RESULTS

Patients in hospitals with NCI cancer centers were significantly younger and less acutely ill on admission (P < .001). Patients in high volume hospitals were younger, had lower admission acuity, yet had more advanced cancer (P < .001). Unadjusted 30-day mortality rates were lower in NCI-designated hospitals (3.76% vs 2.17%;P = .01). Risk-adjusted FTR rates were significantly lower in NCI-designated hospitals (4.86% vs 3.51%;P = .03). NCI center designation was a significant predictor of 30-day mortality when considering patient and hospital characteristics (OR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.47-0.97;P = .04). We did not find significant outcomes effects based on COC cancer program approval.

CONCLUSION

Patient severity of illness varies significantly across hospitals, which may explain the outcome differences observed. Severity adjustment is crucial to understanding outcome differences. Outcomes were better than predicted for NCI-designated hospitals.

Cross-sectional analysis of hospitalist prevalence and quality of care in California

BACKGROUND

Hospital leaders usually provide financial support to hospitalists groups, often with an expectation of improved performance on publicly reported quality metrics. Whether the presence of hospitalists is associated with differences in hospital-level performance is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

Assess the relationship between hospitalist prevalence and quality performance.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 208 California hospitals participating in a voluntary reporting initiative.

INTERVENTION

Survey of hospital personnel with knowledge of the utilization of hospitalists for patient care.

MEASUREMENTS

Sixteen publicly reported quality process measures across 3 medical conditions: acute myocardial infarction (AMI); congestive heart failure (CHF); and pneumonia. Using multivariable models, we assessed the relationship between the presence of hospitalists and the percentage of missed quality opportunities for each process measure.

RESULTS

Of 208 eligible hospitals, 170 (82%) had hospitalist services. After adjustment, hospitals with hospitalists had similar performance for cardiac and pneumonia measures assessed at admission and fewer missed processes for CHF measures assessed at discharge. Among sites with hospitalists, every 10% increase in the estimated percentage of patients admitted by hospitalists was associated with 0.5% fewer (P < 0.001) missed quality opportunities for AMI at admission, and 0.6% (P < 0.001), 0.5% (P = 0.004), and 1.5% (P = 0.006) fewer missed quality opportunities for AMI, CHF, and pneumonia assessed at discharge, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The presence of hospitalists in California was associated with modest improvements in performance on publicly reported process measures. Whether hospitalists directly improve quality or simply reflect a hospital's level of investment in quality remains a subject for future study.