Table 3. Length-of-stay in Days Among Patients with Specific Diagnoses, Levels of Overall Acuity, and Discharge Dispositions Assigned to Teaching Hospitalist vs. Non-Hospitalist Services.
| Group (No.) | TH | NH | Difference (days) | p value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnosis | ||||
| Acute Cerebro-vascular Accident (129) | 8.59 ± 7.46 | 12.45 ± 8.74 | 3.86 | 0.001 |
| Sepsis (257) | 8.63 ± 8.25 | 12.33 ± 16.58 | 3.70 | 0.03 |
| Pneumonia (618) | 6.97 ± 8.40 | 8.35 ± 10.05 | 1.38 | 0.13 |
| Congestive Heart Failure (817) | 4.63 ± 3.72 | 5.81 ± 5.63 | 1.18 | 0.06 |
| Asthma/COPD (523) | 3.53 ± 2.69 | 4.46 ± 4.29 | 0.93 | 0.009 |
| Urinary Tract Infection (228) | 4.48 ± 4.61 | 5.31 ± 6.21 | 0.83 | 0.05 |
| Diabetes Decompensated† (333) | 4.50 ± 6.12 | 5.03 ± 6.47 | 0.53 | 0.31 |
| Cellulitis (175) | 5.15 ± 7.66 | 5.66 ± 5.06 | 0.51 | 0.17 |
| Fluid/Electrolyte disorder (209) | 4.26 ± 2.55 | 4.62 ± 4.03 | 0.36 | 0.54 |
| Acute Myocardial Infarction (497) | 7.11 ± 6.22 | 7.44 ± 6.48 | 0.33 | 0.57 |
| Gastrointestinal Bleeding (247) | 5.25 ± 4.68 | 5.44 ± 5.99 | 0.19 | 0.73 |
| Chest Pain (679) | 1.76 ± 1.50 | 1.85 ± 1.36 | 0.09 | 0.04 |
| Coronary Disease w/o Infarction (406) | 3.56 ± 3.27 | 3.62 ± 3.36 | 0.06 | 0.43 |
| Arrhythmia (294) | 4.27 ± 4.73 | 4.03 ± 3.39 | -0.24 | 0.35 |
| Quartiles of DRG-weight | ||||
| 1st Quartile (2309) | 2.22 ± 2.00 | 2.68 ± 2.51 | 0.46 | < 0.001 |
| 2nd Quartile (2210) | 4.14 ± 3.72 | 4.58 ± 3.94 | 0.44 | 0.07 |
| 3rd Quartile (2259) | 4.96 ± 4.22 | 5.59 ± 5.03 | 0.63 | 0.12 |
| 4th Quartile (2259) | 8.74 ± 9.59 | 10.69 ± 11.97 | 1.95 | < 0.001 |
| Disposition | ||||
| Home-Self (5175) | 3.40 ± 3.13 | 3.80 ± 3.59 | 0.40 | 0.02 |
| Home Care (1601) | 5.24 ± 4.42 | 6.25 ± 5.18 | 1.01 | 0.005 |
| SNF (1402) | 8.21 ± 9.56 | 10.22 ± 10.74 | 2.01 | 0.005 |
TH= Teaching Hospitalist; NH= Non-Hospitalist
Variables reported as mean ± standard deviation
*
Rank-based testing using Somers' D, with standard errors robust to clusters of patients by physician
Diagnoses grouped by ICD-9 code according to clinical classifications by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and collapsed into clinical categories.
†
Includes Diabetic-ketoacidosis, hyper-osmolar non-ketotic, and hyperglycemia
Dispositions: Home-self= discharged home without services; Home Care= discharged home with arranged visiting nurse;
SNF= at discharge, transferred to a skilled nursing facility