Table 1.
Episode-Level Measures of Utilization, Spending, and Outcomes
| >Variable | Mean in 1997 | Mean in 2001 | Change from 1997 to 2001 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital length of stay (days) | 5.87 | 5.60 | −0.26 |
| Hospital payments per episode | $8,057.09 | $8,086.65 | $29.55 |
| Hospital outlier payments per episode | $352.44 | $415.50 | $63.06 |
| Early transfer (%) | 3.2 | 3.0 | −0.1 |
| Postacute use (%) | |||
| Hospital-based SNF | 12.8 | 8.7 | −4.1 |
| Freestanding SNF | 11.2 | 13.4 | 2.1 |
| Home health | 26.8 | 21.8 | −4.9 |
| Other | 5.3 | 7.1 | 1.7 |
| No postacute use | 58.0 | 61.3 | 3.3 |
| Postacute payments per episode | |||
| Hospital-based SNF | $883.27 | $476.18 | −$407.08 |
| Freestanding SNF | $1,289.68 | $1,555.05 | $265.37 |
| Home health | $1,016.21 | $683.51 | −$332.69 |
| Other | $766.92 | $908.51 | $141.58 |
| Total episode payments per episode | $15,711.17 | $15,631.62 | −$79.55 |
| 30-day mortality (%) | 8.2 | 7.9 | −0.3 |
| 120-day mortality (%) | 16.0 | 15.8 | −0.2 |
| 360-day mortality (%) | 25.8 | 25.6 | −0.2 |
| Rehospitalized (%) | 30.0 | 31.1 | 1.1 |
| Rehospitalized with a potentially preventable condition (%) | 6.6 | 6.1 | −0.4 |
| Number of episodes | 5,592,212 | 5,620,563 |
Notes: Only includes episodes beginning with an admission to a hospital that hosted an HBSNF in 1997. We exclude standard errors because these statistics are generated from the universe of these episodes and, therefore, represent the true population means and changes.
Due to rounding, changes may appear not to equal differences in means.
SNF, skilled nursing facility.