Table 3.
Main Models: Comparison of Outcomes of Hospital Stays for Hospitalists vs. Non-Hospitalist Physicians for Medical Stays
| Stays under the care of hospitalists (95% CI) | Stays under the care of non-hospitalists (95% CI) | Difference (95% CI) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-coverage approach: allowing for switches between different physicians within the same specialty over the course of hospital stay | ||||
| 30-day readmissions, % | 17.59 (17.50–17.68) | 17.31 (17.25–17.37) | 0.28 (0.13–0.44) | < 0.001 |
| 30-day mortality, % | 8.08 (8.02–8.14) | 8.20 (8.16–8.24) | −0.12 (−0.22 to −0.02) | 0.02 |
| Discharge to community, % | 49.53 (49.39–49.66) | 49.79 (49.70–49.87) | −0.26 (−0.48 to −0.04) | 0.02 |
| 60-day Medicare payments, $ | 26,301 (26262–26,340) | 25,996 (25973–26,019) | 305 (243–367) | < 0.001 |
| Attending physician approach: assigning a single attending physician based on plurality of claims | ||||
| 30-day readmissions, % | 17.32 (17.23–17.41) | 17.09 (17.03–17.15) | 0.23 (0.08–0.38) | 0.003 |
| 30-day mortality, % | 7.95 (7.88–8.01) | 8.12 (8.08–8.16) | −0.17 (−0.28 to −0.07) | 0.001 |
| Discharge to community, % | 49.76 (49.62–49.90) | 49.94 (49.85–50.03) | −0.18 (−0.41 to 0.04) | 0.11 |
| 60-day Medicare payments, $ | 26,054 (26017–26,091) | 25,802 (25780–25,824) | 252 (193–311) | < 0.001 |