Table 1.
Admission Characteristics by Date of Admission Relative to TJC Survey Date
| Characteristic | Survey Weeks | P Valueb | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-TJC (n = 1 462 339)a | TJC (n = 244 787) | ||
| Females, No. (%) | 811 598 (55.5) | 135 857 (55.5) | .90 |
| White race, No. (%) | 1 183 032 (80.9) | 1 97 788 (80.8) | .44 |
| Age, mean (SD), y | 72.84 (14.5) | 72.76 (14.5) | .008 |
| Length of stay, mean (SD), d | 5.37 (8.0) | 5.37 (7.9) | .55 |
| Total Medicare payments, mean (SD), $ | 8306 (19 954) | 8322 (19 360) | .55 |
| Weekly admissions, mean (SD), No. | 123.0 (193) | 123.5 (199) | .86 |
| Elixhauser score, mean (SD)c | 3.3 (1.8) | 3.3 (1.8) | .26 |
| Presence of chronic illness, No. (%)d | |||
| AMI/ischemia | 880 328 (60.2) | 146 872 (60.0) | .23 |
| Alzheimer dementia | 283 694 (19.4) | 47 244 (19.3) | .25 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 307 091 (21.0) | 50 916 (20.8) | .16 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 517 668 (35.4) | 86 165 (35.2) | .06 |
| COPD | 563 001 (38.5) | 93 509 (38.2) | .005 |
| Diabetes | 641 967 (43.9) | 107 217 (43.8) | .53 |
| Congestive heart failure | 649 279 (44.4) | 107 951 (44.1) | .001 |
| Hyperlipidemia | 998 778 (68.3) | 166 945 (68.2) | .57 |
| Hypertension | 1 162 560 (79.5) | 194 361 (79.4) | .54 |
| Stroke or TIA | 315 865 (21.6) | 52 874 (21.6) | .89 |
| Cancere | 241 286 (16.5) | 40 635 (16.6) | .42 |
Abbreviations: AMI, acute myocardial infarction; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; TIA, transient ischemic attack; TJC, The Joint Commission.
a
Non-TJC survey weeks were defined as the 6 weeks occurring 3 weeks before and 3 weeks after the week of the TJC survey.
b
P values estimated using 2-sample t tests or z tests for proportions, as appropriate.
c
Elixhauser score calculated as the number of 29 Elixhauser comorbidities present during a hospital admission.30
d
Presence of chronic illness assessed using indicators from the Chronic Conditions Data Warehouse research database.19
e
Includes breast, endometrial, prostate, or colon cancer.