Table 2.
Patient Characteristics and Unadjusted Study Outcomes during Study Periods.a
| Patients discharged during pre-implementation period, n = 18 096 | Patient discharged during post-implementation period, n = 16 210 | Patients during both pre-implementation and post-implementation periods, n = 34 306 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Admission characteristics | |||
| Age, mean (SD), years | 59.6 (17.2) | 59.6 (17.1) | 59.6 (17.1) |
| Sex, % | |||
| Female | 58.7 | 56.7 | 57.7 |
| Male | 41.3 | 43.3 | 42.3 |
| Race, % | |||
| Black | 21.3 | 22.6 | 21.9 |
| White | 76.6 | 74.4 | 75.5 |
| Other | 2.2 | 3.0 | 2.6 |
| Primary payer, % | |||
| Commercial | 31.0 | 30.6 | 30.8 |
| Medicaid | 11.1 | 10.6 | 10.9 |
| Medicare | 52.4 | 50.3 | 52.4 |
| Self-pay | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.4 |
| Other | 2.2 | 3.0 | 2.5 |
| Admission source, % | |||
| Elective | 40.2 | 40.6 | 40.4 |
| Emergent | 59.8 | 59.4 | 59.6 |
| Discharge characteristics | |||
| Length of stay, mean (SD), day | 3.8 (3.8) | 4.3 (5.1) | 4.0 (4.4) |
| Discharge disposition, % | |||
| Home | 69.5 | 71.0 | 70.2 |
| Home health | 24.8 | 23.7 | 24.3 |
| Other | 5.7 | 5.3 | 5.5 |
| MS-DRG type, % | |||
| Medical | 56.8 | 55.6 | 56.3 |
| Surgical | 43.2 | 44.4 | 43.7 |
| MS-DRG complication, % | 1.7 | 2.3 | |
| Comorbidities, % | |||
| 0-1 | 35.6 | 33.2 | 34.5 |
| 2-3 | 35.2 | 37.4 | 36.2 |
| ≥4 | 29.2 | 29.4 | 29.3 |
| Self-reported characteristics | |||
| Overall health: excellent, % | 13.1 | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Overall mental health: excellent, % | 32.5 | 32.0 | 32.2 |
| Interview language: English, % | 99.9 | 99.5 | 99.7 |
| Education: College or above, % | 23.3 | 24.5 | 23.8 |
| Unadjusted study outcomes | |||
| Communication with Nurses | 83.70 | 83.15 | 83.44 |
| Communication with Doctors | 83.18 | 83.40 | 83.28 |
| Responsiveness of Hospital Staff | 66.92 | 65.10 | 66.06 |
| Communication about Medicines | 67.06 | 67.93 | 67.48 |
| Discharge Information | 91.29 | 91.66 | 91.47 |
| Care Transition | 58.05 | 59.15 | 58.57 |
| Hospital Environment | 69.94 | 69.87 | 69.91 |
| Hospital Rating | 75.02 | 75.13 | 75.07 |
| Recommend the Hospital | 78.97 | 79.20 | 79.08 |
| Summary Score | 74.86 | 74.87 | 74.87 |
Abbreviation: MS-DRG, Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Groups.
a Pre-implementation included the eight quarters prior to the transition quarter, and post-implementation included transition quarter and three following quarters. Study outcomes were average of individual nonmissing items and ranged from 0 to 100.