Substantial Hospital-level Variation Research Articles

Estimating the Impact of Hospital-Level Variation on the Use of Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities Versus Skilled Nursing Facilities on Individual Patients With Stroke.

There is substantial hospital-level variation in the use of Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRFs) versus Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) among patients with stroke, which is poorly understood. Our objective was to quantify the net effect of the admitting hospital on the probability of receiving IRF or SNF care for individual patients with stroke. Using Medicare claims data (2011-2013), a cohort of patients with acute stroke discharged to an IRF or SNF was identified. We generated 2 multivariable logistic regression models. Model 1 predicted IRF admission (versus SNF) using only patient-level factors, whereas model 2 added a hospital random effect term to quantify the hospital effect. The statistical significance and direction of the random effect terms were used to categorize hospitals as being either IRF-favoring, SNF-favoring, or neutral with respect to their discharge patterns. The hospital's impact on individual patient's probability of IRF discharge was estimated by taking the change in individual predicted probabilities (change in individual predicted probability) between the 2 models. Hospital-level effects were categorized as small (<10%), moderate (10%-19%), or large (≥20%) depending on change in individual predicted probability. The cohort included 135 415 patients (average age, 81.5 [SD=8.0] years, 61% female, 91% ischemic stroke) who were discharged from 1816 acute care hospitals to IRFs (n=66 548) or SNFs (n=68 867). Half of hospitals were classified as being either IRF-favoring (n=461, 25.4%) or SNF-favoring (n=485, 26.7%) with the remainder (n=870, 47.9%) considered neutral. Overall, just over half (n=73 428) of patients were treated at hospitals that had moderate or large independent effects on discharge settings. Hospital effects for neutral hospitals were small (ie, change in individual predicted probability <10%) for most patients (72.5%). However, hospital effects were moderate or large for 78.8% and 84.6% of patients treated at IRF- or SNF-favoring hospitals, respectively. For most patients with stroke, the admitting hospital meaningfully changed the type of rehabilitation care that they received.

Variation in NICU Head CT Utilization Among U.S. Children's Hospitals.

Evaluate nationwide 12-year trend and hospital-level variation in head computed tomography (CT) utilization among infants admitted to pediatric hospital NICUs. We hypothesized there was significant variation in utilization. We conducted a retrospective cohort study examining head CT utilization for infants admitted to the NICU within 31 United States children's hospitals within the Pediatric Health Information System database between 2010 and 2021. Mixed effects logistic regression was used to estimate head CT, head MRI, and head ultrasound utilization (% of admissions) by year. Risk-adjusted hospital head CT rates were examined within the 2021 cohort. Between 2010 and 2021, there were 338 644 NICU admissions, of which 10 052 included head CT (3.0%). Overall, head CT utilization decreased (4.9% in 2010 to 2.6% in 2021, P < .0001), with a concomitant increase in head MRI (12.1% to 18.7%, P < .0001) and head ultrasound (41.3% to 43.4%, P < .0001) utilization. In 2021, significant variation in risk-adjusted head CT utilization was noted across centers, with hospital head CT rates ranging from 0% to 10% of admissions. Greatest hospital-level variation was noted for patients with codes for seizure or encephalopathy (hospital head CT rate interquartile range [IQR] = 11.6%; 50th percentile = 12.0%), ventriculoperitoneal shunt (IQR = 10.8%; 50th percentile = 15.4%), and infection (IQR = 10.1%; 50th percentile = 7.5%). Head CT utilization within pediatric hospital NICUs has declined over the past 12-years, but substantial hospital-level variation remains. Development of CT stewardship guidelines may help decrease variation and reduce infant radiation exposure.

Quantifying Empiric Antibiotic Use in US Children's Hospitals.

Empirical broad-spectrum antibiotics are routinely administered for short durations to children with suspected bacteremia while awaiting blood culture results. Our aim for this study was to estimate the proportion of broad-spectrum antibiotic use accounted for by these "rule-outs." The Pediatric Health Information System was used to identify children aged 3 months to 20 years hospitalized between July 2016 and June 2017 who received broad-spectrum antibiotics for suspected bacteremia. Using an electronic definition for a rule-out, we estimated the proportion of all broad-spectrum antibiotic days of therapy accounted for by this indication. Clinical and demographic characteristics, as well as antibiotic choice, are reported descriptively. A total of 67 032 episodes of suspected bacteremia across 42 hospitals were identified. From these, 34 909 (52%) patients were classified as having received an antibiotic treatment course, and 32 123 patients (48%) underwent an antibiotic rule-out without a subsequent treatment course. Antibiotics prescribed for rule-outs accounted for 12% of all broad-spectrum antibiotic days of therapy. Third-generation cephalosporins and vancomycin were the most commonly prescribed antibiotics, and substantial hospital-level variation in vancomycin use was identified (range: 16%-58% of suspected bacteremia episodes). Broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotic use for rule-out infections appears common across children's hospitals, with substantial hospital-level variation in the use of vancomycin in particular. Antibiotic stewardship programs focused on intervening on antibiotics prescribed for longer durations may consider this novel opportunity to further standardize antibiotic regimens and reduce antibiotic exposure.

Development and Evaluation of a Risk-Adjusted Measure of Intraoperative Hypotension in Patients Having Nonemergent, Noncardiac Surgery.

BACKGROUND:Intraoperative hypotension is common and associated with organ injury and death, although randomized data showing a causal relationship remain sparse. A risk-adjusted measure of intraoperative hypotension may therefore contribute to quality improvement efforts.METHODS:The measure we developed defines hypotension as a mean arterial pressure <65 mm Hg sustained for at least 15 cumulative minutes. Comparisons are based on whether clinicians have more or fewer cases of hypotension than expected over 12 months, given their patient mix. The measure was developed and evaluated with data from 225,389 surgeries in 5 hospitals. We assessed discrimination and calibration of the risk adjustment model, then calculated the distribution of clinician-level measure scores, and finally estimated the signal-to-noise reliability and predictive validity of the measure.RESULTS:The risk adjustment model showed acceptable calibration and discrimination (area under the curve was 0.72 and 0.73 in different validation samples). Clinician-level, risk-adjusted scores varied widely, and 36% of clinicians had significantly more cases of intraoperative hypotension than predicted. Clinician-level score distributions differed across hospitals, indicating substantial hospital-level variation. The mean signal-to-noise reliability estimate was 0.87 among all clinicians and 0.94 among clinicians with >30 cases during the 12-month measurement period. Kidney injury and in-hospital mortality were most common in patients whose anesthesia providers had worse scores. However, a sensitivity analysis in 1 hospital showed that score distributions differed markedly between anesthesiology fellows and attending anesthesiologists or certified registered nurse anesthetists; score distributions also varied as a function of the fraction of cases that were inpatients.CONCLUSIONS:Intraoperative hypotension was common and was associated with acute kidney injury and in-hospital mortality. There were substantial variations in clinician-level scores, and the measure score distribution suggests that there may be opportunity to reduce hypotension which may improve patient safety and outcomes. However, sensitivity analyses suggest that some portion of the variation results from limitations of risk adjustment. Future versions of the measure should risk adjust for important patient and procedural factors including comorbidities and surgical complexity, although this will require more consistent structured data capture in anesthesia information management systems. Including structured data on additional risk factors may improve hypotension risk prediction which is integral to the measure’s validity.

Prevalence of Clinically Significant Drug-Drug Interactions Across US Children's Hospitals.

Little is known about the prescribing of medications with potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs) in the pediatric population. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and variation of prescribing medications with clinically significant DDIs across children's hospitals in the United States. We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients <26 years of age who were discharged from 1 of 52 US children's hospitals between January 2016 and December 2018. Fifty-three drug pairings with clinically significant DDIs in children were evaluated. We identified patient-level risk factors associated with DDI using multivariable logistic regression. Adjusted hospital-level rates of DDI exposure were derived by using a generalized linear mixed-effects model, and DDI exposure variations were examined across individual hospitals. Across 52 children's hospitals, 47 414 (2.0%) hospitalizations included exposure to a DDI pairing (34.9 per 1000 patient-days) during the study period. One-quarter of pairings were considered contraindicated (risk grade X). After adjusting for hospital and clinical factors, there was wide variation in the percentage of DDI prescribing across hospitals, ranging from 1.05% to 4.92%. There was also substantial hospital-level variation of exposures to individual drug pairings. Increasing age, number of complex chronic conditions, length of stay, and surgical encounters were independently associated with an increased odds of DDI exposure. Patients hospitalized at US children's hospitals are frequently exposed to medications with clinically significant DDIs. Exposure risk varied substantially across hospitals. Further study is needed to determine the rate of adverse events due to DDI exposures and factors amenable for interventions promoting safer medication use.

Substantial hospital level variation in all-cause readmission rates among medicare beneficiaries with serious mental illness

BackgroundPatients with serious mental illness (i.e., SMI; bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia) are at increased risk of readmission, yet little is known about the extent to which readmission rates among these patients vary across hospitals. The purpose of this study was to examine the variation across hospitals in readmissions for patients with SMI and differences in the characteristics of hospitals with the highest and lowest adjusted readmission rates. MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional analysis of pooled inpatient claims from 2013-2016. Mixed logit models with hospital random effects were used to estimate the hospital-level variance. The sample included patients with SMI from a 5% sample of fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries. ResultsWe identified 2066 hospitals with at least 30 index admissions for Medicare beneficiaries with SMI. In multivariate analyses, factors most strongly associated with increased risk of readmission included substance use disorder (OR 2.311; p < 0.001) and end stage renal disease (OR 2.024; p < 0.001). Unadjusted readmission for hospitals at the 5th and 95th percentiles of performance were 7.05% and 15.24%, respectively, constituting an 8.2% difference. Adjusting for patient and community characteristics reduced the spread in readmission rates between the 5th and 95th percentiles of hospitals by 1.0% (i.e. to 7.2%). Hospitals in the lowest vs. highest quintiles of adjusted readmission rates were more likely to be teaching hospitals (11.1% vs. 16.7%; p < 0.05) and located in the South (37.7% vs. 40.4%) or Midwest (19.8% vs. 30.0%; p < 0.001 for region differences).Conclusions: There is substantial hospital-level variation in readmission rates among patients with serious mental illness, even after adjusting for patient and community characteristics. This has implications for policy guiding investment in hospital-based services and community resources, to improve transitions of care for patients with SMI.

Drivers of Variation in 90-Day Episode Payments After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a common and expensive procedure that has become a target for bundled payment initiatives. We described the magnitude and determinants of variation in 90-day PCI episode payments across a diverse array of patients and hospitals. We linked clinical registry data from PCIs performed at 33 Michigan hospitals to 90-day episodes of care constructed using Medicare fee-for-service and commercial insurance claims from January 2012 to October 2016. Payments were price standardized and risk adjusted using clinical and administrative variables in an observed-over-expected framework. Hospitals were stratified into quartiles based on average episode payments. Payment components between the highest and the lowest quartiles were compared with identified drivers of variation (ie, index hospitalization/procedure, readmissions, postacute care, and professional fees). Among 40 925 90-day PCI episodes, the average risk-adjusted 90-day episode payment by hospital ranged between $22 154 and $27 205 with a median of $24 696 (interquartile range, $24 190-$25 643). Hospitals in the lowest and the highest quartiles had average episode payments of $23 744 and $26 504, respectively (difference, $2760). Readmission payments were the primary driver of this variation (46.2%), followed by postacute care (22.6%). Readmissions remained the primary driver of variation in key subgroups, including inpatient and outpatient PCI, as well as PCI for acute myocardial infarction and nonacute myocardial infarction indications. Substantial hospital-level variation exists in 90-day PCI episode payments. Over half the variation between high- and low-payment hospitals was related to care after the index procedure, primarily because of readmissions and postacute care. Hospitals and policymakers should consider targeting these components when developing initiatives to reduce PCI-related spending.

Use of troponin assay 99th percentile as the decision level for myocardial infarction diagnosis

The Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction recommends the 99th percentile concentration of cardiac troponin in a normal reference population as part of the decision threshold to diagnose type 1 spontaneous myocardial infarction. Adoption of this recommendation in contemporary worldwide practice is not well known. We performed a cohort study of 276 hospital laboratories in 31 countries participating in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-sponsored International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness with Medical and Invasive Approaches trial. Each hospital laboratory's troponin assay manufacturer and model, the recommended assay's 99th percentile upper reference limit (URL) from the manufacturer's package insert, and the troponin concentration used locally as the decision level to diagnose myocardial infarction were ascertained. Twenty-one unique troponin assays from 9 manufacturers were used by the surveyed hospital laboratories. The ratio of the troponin concentration used locally to diagnose myocardial infarction to the assay manufacturer-determined 99th percentile URL was <1 at 19 (6.6%) laboratories, equal to 1 at 91 (31.6%) laboratories, >1 to ≤5 at 101 (35.1%) laboratories, >5 to ≤10 at 34 (11.8%) laboratories, and >10 at 43 (14.9%) laboratories. The variability in troponin decision level for myocardial infarction relative to the assay 99th percentile URL was present for laboratories in and outside of the United States, as well as for high- and standard-sensitivity assays. There is substantial hospital-level variation in the troponin threshold used to diagnose myocardial infarction; only one-third of hospital laboratories currently follow the Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction consensus recommendation for use of troponin concentration at the 99th percentile of a normal reference population as the decision level to diagnose myocardial infarction. This variability across laboratories has important implications for both the diagnosis of myocardial infarction in clinical practice as well as adjudication of myocardial infarction in clinical trials.

Low rates of pregnancy screening in adolescents before teratogenic exposures in a national sample of children's hospitals.

Adolescents with cancer engage in sexual behaviors and are exposed to teratogenic chemotherapy. There are no data regarding pregnancy screening patterns for adolescents before chemotherapy exposure. A cross-sectional study of leukemia and emergency room (ER) admissions in the Pediatric Health Information System from 1999 to 2011 was conducted. Females who were 10 to 18 years old and 1) had newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or 2) had ER visits with computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen/pelvis were included. The exposure was a hospital visit with either chemotherapy or an abdominal/pelvic CT scan. The main outcome was a pregnancy test billed on the same day or before the teratogenic exposure within the same index admission. Log-binomial regressions were used to compute prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals comparing pregnancy screening in the leukemia and ER cohorts. A total of 35,650 admissions were identified. The proportion of visits with an appropriately timed pregnancy test was 35%, 64%, and 58% in the ALL (n = 889), AML (n = 127), and ER cohorts (n = 34,634), respectively. Patients with ALL were significantly less likely to have a pregnancy test than the ER cohort (adjusted prevalence ratio, 0.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.65-0.78), but there was no significant difference between the AML and ER cohorts (adjusted prevalence ratio, 1.12; 95% confidence interval, 0.99-1.27). There was substantial hospital-level variation in pregnancy screening patterns. Adolescents with acute leukemia and ER visits have low rates of pregnancy screening before teratogenic exposures. Standardized practice guidelines for pregnancy screening among adolescents may improve screening rates. Cancer 2016;122:3394-3400. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

Safe and Effective Implementation of Telestroke in a US Community Hospital Setting.

There is substantial hospital-level variation in use of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for treatment of acute ischemic stroke. Telestroke services can bring neurologic expertise to hospitals with fewer resources. To determine whether implementation of a telestroke intervention in a large integrated health system would lead to increased tPA utilization and would change rates of hemorrhagic complications. A stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial of 11 community hospitals connected to 2 tertiary care centers via telestroke, implemented at each hospital incrementally during a 1-year period. We examined pre- and postimplementation data from July 2013 through January 2015. A 2-level mixed-effects logistic regression model accounted for the staggered rollout. Receipt of tPA. Secondary outcome was the rate of significant hemorrhagic complications. Of the 2657 patients, demographic and clinical characteristics were similar in pre- and postintervention cohorts. Utilization of tPA increased from 6.3% before the intervention to 10.9% after the intervention, without a significant change in complication rates. Postintervention patients were more likely to receive tPA than were preintervention patients (odds ratio = 2.0; 95% confidence interval = 1.2-3.4). Before implementation, 8 of the 10 community hospitals were significantly less likely to administer tPA than the highest-volume tertiary care center; however, after implementation, 9 of the 10 were at least as likely to administer tPA as the highest-volume center. Telestroke implementation in a regional integrated health system was safe and effective. Community hospitals' rates of tPA utilization quickly increased and were similar to the largest-volume tertiary care center.

Abstract 13402: Selection of Stent Types Among AMI patients With Atrial Fibrillation: National Patterns From NCDR ACTION Registry - GWTG 2008-2014

Background: Patients receiving an oral anticoagulant on top of dual antiplatelet therapy are known to be at high risk for bleeding events; thus the selection of drug-eluting stents (DES) versus bare metal stents (BMS) can have important implications for acute MI patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: From the NCDR ACTION Registry - GWTG, we identified 14,427 AF patients presenting with acute MI undergoing PCI from 2008-2014. Temporal trends and hospital variation in DES use were examined as were patterns of use by stroke risk (CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc) and bleeding risk (ATRIA). Results: Overall, DES was used in 58.9% of MI patients with AF. This rate increased from 47.1% in 2008 to 67.9% in 2014 (p&lt;0.001). Use of DES vs BMS varied widely among hospitals (median 60% DES implantation, interquartile range 50% - 74%) (Figure). Relative to BMS patients, those receiving DES were younger (median age 72 years vs. 75 years) but had more comorbidities such as diabetes, dyslipidemia, prior MI, and prior revascularization (all p&lt;0.001). DES placement was more common than BMS placement among patients at high stroke risk (CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc ≥ 2) and high bleeding risk (ATRIA ≥ 4) (59% and 56%, respectively, p&lt;0.01 for both) Although aspirin and a P2Y12 inhibitor were prescribed in &gt;95% of all patients, warfarin was prescribed at discharge less frequently among patients receiving DES than BMS (31% vs. 39%, p&lt;0.001) Conclusions: Use of DES among MI patients with AF has increased over time, yet substantial hospital-level variation is observed. Patients with AF meeting indication for anticoagulation are still more likely to receive DES than BMS, even among those at both high predicted stroke risk and bleeding risk. Those with AF receiving DES were however less likely to receive warfarin therapy.

Sources of Variation in Hospital-Level Infection Rates After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: An Analysis of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Heart Surgery Database

Patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are at risk for a variety of infections. Investigators have focused on predictors of these adverse sequelae, but less attention has been focused on characterizing hospital-level variability in these outcomes. Between July 2011 and December 2013, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database shows 365,686 patients underwent isolated CABG in 1,084 hospitals. Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) were defined as pneumonia, sepsis/septicemia, deep sternal wound infection/mediastinitis, vein harvest/cannulation site infection, or thoracotomy infection. Hospitals were ranked by their HAI rate as low (≤ 10th percentile), medium (10th to 90th percentile), and high (>90th percentile). Differences in perioperative factors and composite morbidity and mortality end points across these groups were determined using the Wilcoxon rank sum and χ(2) tests. HAIs occurred among 3.97% of patients overall, but rates varied across hospital groups (low: <0.84%, medium: 0.84% to 8.41%, high: >8.41%). Pneumonia (2.98%) was the most common HAI, followed by sepsis/septicemia (0.84%). Patients at high-rate hospitals more often smoked, had diabetes, chronic lung disease, New York Heart Association Functional Classification III to IV, and received blood products (p < 0.001); however, they less often were prescribed the appropriate antibiotics (p < 0.001). Major morbidity and mortality occurred among 12.3% of patients, although this varied by hospital group (low: 8.6%, medium: 12.3%, high: 17.9%; p < 0.001). Substantial hospital-level variation exists in postoperative HAIs among patients undergoing CABG, driven predominantly by pneumonia. Given the relatively small absolute differences in comorbidities across hospital groups, our findings suggest factors other than case mix may explain the observed variation in HAI rates.

Care Transfers for Patients with Upper Extremity Trauma: Does Insurance Matter?: N/A - Not a clinical study

Despite federal legislation, wide variation persists in the referral patterns of upper extremity trauma patients. We sought to understand the differences in transfer rates for patients with upper extremity trauma by hospital trauma center designation, and hypothesized that uninsured and underinsured patients are more likely to be transferred to another facility compared with privately insured patients. Trauma centers are designated by local authorities and verified by the American College of Surgeons. Using the 2012 National Trauma Data Bank, we examined the probability of a patient with isolated upper extremity trauma to be transferred from one center to another. We used multivariable logistic regression to compare risk-adjusted transfer rates for patients with upper extremity injuries by trauma center designation and clustered variance method to adjust for intra-hospital correlation. In 2012, 6,295 adult patients ages 18-64 with isolated upper extremity trauma presented to 477 hospitals. Overall, transfer rates were significantly higher among level III trauma centers (26%) compared with level I (2%) or level II (11%) trauma centers (P < 0.001). Adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics, patients with public insurance were more likely to be transferred from level III trauma centers to another center (OR=1.76, CI: 1.07-2.88) compared with being privately insured. •Underinsured patients with upper extremity trauma injuries were more likely than privately insured patients to be transferred from level III trauma centers.•Lack of transfer guidelines for upper extremity trauma, scarcity and unbalanced distribution of hand and plastic surgeons in level III trauma centers and financial considerations of smaller community hospitals may explain substantial hospital-level variation in upper extremity trauma care in the U.S.•Current regulations may not prevent unnecessary patient transfers based on insurance status among level III trauma centers.•Policy makers may need to provide compensation or incentive to overcome the financial burden of providing care for underinsured patients among smaller and less financially secure hospitals.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)

Risk-Adjusted Variation of Publicly Reported Emergency Department Timeliness Measures

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published emergency department (ED) timeliness measures. These data show substantial variation in hospital performance and suggest the need for process improvement initiatives. However, the CMS measures are not risk adjusted and may provide misleading information about hospital performance and variation. We hypothesize that substantial hospital-level variation will persist after risk adjustment. This cross-sectional study included hospitals that participated in the Emergency Department Benchmarking Alliance and CMS ED measure reporting in 2012. Outcomes included the CMS measures corresponding to median annual boarding time, length of stay of admitted patients, length of stay of discharged patients, and waiting time of discharged patients. Covariates included hospital structural characteristics and case-mix information from the American Hospital Association Survey, CMS cost reports, and the Emergency Department Benchmarking Alliance. We used a γregression with a log link to model the skewed outcomes. We used indirect standardization to create risk-adjusted measures. We defined "substantial" variation as coefficient of variation greater than 0.15. The study cohort included 723 hospitals. Risk-adjusted performance on the CMS measures varied substantially across hospitals, with coefficient of variation greater than 0.15 for all measures. Ratios between the 10th and 90th percentiles of performance ranged from 1.5-fold for length of stay of discharged patients to 3-fold for waiting time of discharged patients. Policy-relevant variations in publicly reported CMS ED timeliness measures persist after risk adjustment for nonmodifiable hospital and case-mix characteristics. Future "positive deviance" studies should identify modifiable process measures associated with high performance.

National trends in hospital length of stay for acute myocardial infarction in China.

BackgroundChina is experiencing increasing burden of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the face of limited medical resources. Hospital length of stay (LOS) is an important indicator of resource utilization.MethodsWe used data from the Retrospective AMI Study within the China Patient-centered Evaluative Assessment of Cardiac Events, a nationally representative sample of patients hospitalized for AMI during 2001, 2006, and 2011. Hospital-level variation in risk-standardized LOS (RS-LOS) for AMI, accounting for differences in case mix and year, was examined with two-level generalized linear mixed models. A generalized estimating equation model was used to evaluate hospital characteristics associated with LOS. Absolute differences in RS-LOS and 95% confidence intervals were reported.ResultsThe weighted median and mean LOS were 13 and 14.6 days, respectively, in 2001 (n = 1,901), 11 and 12.6 days in 2006 (n = 3,553), and 11 and 11.9 days in 2011 (n = 7,252). There was substantial hospital level variation in RS-LOS across the 160 hospitals, ranging from 9.2 to 18.1 days. Hospitals in the Central regions had on average 1.6 days (p = 0.02) shorter RS-LOS than those in the Eastern regions. All other hospital characteristics relating to capacity for AMI treatment were not associated with LOS.ConclusionsDespite a marked decline over the past decade, the mean LOS for AMI in China in 2011 remained long compared with international standards. Inter-hospital variation is substantial even after adjusting for case mix. Further improvement of AMI care in Chinese hospitals is critical to further shorten LOS and reduce unnecessary hospital variation.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2261-15-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Variation of Opioid Use in Pediatric Inpatients Across Hospitals in the U.S.

ContextAppropriate use of opioids is essential to manage moderate-to-severe pain in children safely and effectively, yet published guidance regarding opioid treatment for pediatric patients is limited, potentially resulting in excessive variation in opioid use in pediatric patients across hospitals in the U.S. ObjectivesThe aim was to evaluate hospital variation in opioid use in pediatric inpatients. MethodsUsing data from the Pediatric Health Information System and the Premier Perspective Database regarding all pediatric inpatients in 626 hospitals, we examined hospital variation in opioid use and the length of opioid use, adjusting for patient demographic and clinical characteristics and for hospital type (children's vs. general) and hospital patient volume, using multilevel generalized linear regression modeling. ResultsOverall, 41.2% of all pediatric hospitalizations were exposed to opioids. Among the exposed patients, the mean length of exposure was 4.6 days. Exposure proportion and exposure length varied substantially across hospitals, even after accounting for patient demographic and clinical characteristics, hospital type and hospital patient volume, especially among terminal hospitalizations. For patients discharged alive vs. died, the adjusted exposure percentage for each hospital ranged from 0.7% to 99.1% (interquartile range [IQR]: 35.3%–59.9%) vs. 0.1% to 100.0% (IQR: 29.2%–66.2%), respectively, and the adjusted exposure length ranged from 1.0 to 8.4 days (IQR: 2.2–2.7 days) vs. 0.9 to 35.2 days (IQR: 4.0–7.4 days). ConclusionThe substantial hospital-level variation in opioid use in pediatric inpatients suggests room for improvement in clinical practice.

Skilled Nursing Facility Referral and Hospital Readmission Rates after Heart Failure or Myocardial Infarction

Background Substantial hospital-level variation in the risk of readmission after hospitalization for heart failure (HF) or acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been reported. Prior studies have documented considerable state-level variation in rates of discharge to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), but evaluation of hospital-level variation in SNF rates and its relationship to hospital-level readmission rates is limited. Methods Hospital-level 30-day all-cause risk-standardized readmission rates (RSRRs) were calculated using claims data for fee-for-service Medicare patients hospitalized with a principal diagnosis of HF or AMI from 2006-2008. Medicare claims were used to calculate rates of discharge to SNF following HF-specific or AMI-specific admissions in hospitals with ≥25 HF or AMI patients, respectively. Weighted regression was used to quantify the relationship between RSRRs and SNF rates for each condition. Results Mean RSRR following HF admission among 4101 hospitals was 24.7%, and mean RSRR after AMI admission among 2453 hospitals was 19.9%. Hospital-level SNF rates ranged from 0% to 83.8% for HF and from 0% to 77.8% for AMI. No significant relationship between RSRR after HF and SNF rate was found in adjusted regression models ( P = .15). RSRR after AMI increased by 0.03 percentage point for each 1 absolute percentage point increase in SNF rate in adjusted regression models ( P = .001). Overall, HF and AMI SNF rates explained <1% and 4% of the variation for their respective RSRRs. Conclusion SNF rates after HF or AMI hospitalization vary considerably across hospitals, but explain little of the variation in 30-day all-cause readmission rates for these conditions.

Organizational Determinants of Hospital End-of-Life Treatment Intensity

There is substantial hospital-level variation in end-of-life (EOL) treatment intensity. To explore the association between organizational factors and EOL treatment intensity in Pennsylvania (PA) hospitals. Cross-sectional mixed-mode survey of Chief Nursing Officers of PA hospitals linked to hospital-level measures of EOL treatment intensity calculated from PA Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) hospital discharge data. HOSPITALS: One hundred sixty-four hospitals, of which 124 (76%) responded to the survey. : The dependent variable was an index of hospital EOL treatment intensity; the independent variables included administrative data-derived structural and market characteristics and 29 survey-derived hospital or ICU programs, policies, or practices. : In models restricted to independent variables drawn from administrative sources (available for all 164 hospitals), bed size (P < 0.001), proportion of admissions among black patients (P < 0.001), and county-wide hospital market competitiveness (Herfindahl-Hirschman index) (P = 0.001) were independently associated with greater EOL treatment intensity (adjusted R = 0.5136). In models that additionally included hospital programs, policies, and practices (available for 124 hospitals), only an ICU long length of stay review committee (P = 0.03) was independently associated with greater EOL treatment intensity (adjusted R = 0.5357). Information about hospital and ICU programs, policies, and practices believed relevant to the treatment of patients near the end of life offers little additional explanatory power in understanding hospital-level variation in EOL treatment intensity than administratively-derived variables alone. Future studies should explore the contribution of more difficult to measure social norms in shaping hospital practice patterns.