Publication

Impact of Hospital Teaching Intensity on Quality of Care and Patient Outcomes

Mueller, Stephanie K.
Lipsitz, Stuart R.
Hicks, LeRoi S.
Embargo Expiration Date
Abstract

BACKGROUND:: Proposed changes to financing of teaching hospitals and new quality-based performance incentives may differentially impact the financial health of teaching and safety-net institutions. Few data have examined the potential impact of these financial changes on teaching institutions.

OBJECTIVES:: To determine the association of hospital teaching intensity with processes and outcomes of care for the most common inpatient diagnoses in the United States.

RESEARCH DESIGN:: Cross-sectional analysis of the 2008 Hospital Quality Alliance and 2007 American Hospital Association databases, adjusted for hospital characteristics.

SUBJECTS:: A total of 2418 hospitals distributed across the country with available data on teaching intensity (resident-to-bed ratio), quality-of-care process measures, and risk-adjusted readmission and mortality rates for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), congestive heart failure (CHF), and pneumonia.

MEASURES:: Hospital-level quality-of-care process indicators and 30-day risk-adjusted readmission and mortality rates for AMI, CHF, and pneumonia.

RESULTS:: Multivariable analysis demonstrates that all hospitals perform uniformly well on quality-of-care process measures for AMI, CHF, and pneumonia. However, when compared with nonteaching hospitals, increasing hospital teaching intensity is significantly associated with improved risk-adjusted mortality for AMI and CHF, but higher risk-adjusted readmission rates for all 3 conditions. Among high teaching intensity hospitals, those with larger Medicaid populations (safety-net institutions) had particularly high readmission rates for AMI and CHF.

CONCLUSIONS:: In this nationally representative evaluation, we found significant variation in performance on risk-adjusted mortality and readmission rates, and differences in readmission rates based on safety-net status. Our findings suggest that high teaching intensity and safety-net institutions may be disproportionately affected by upcoming changes in hospital payment models.

Source

Med Care. 2013 Jul;51(7):567-74. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0b013e3182902151. Link to article on publisher's site

Year of Medical School at Time of Visit
Sponsors
Dates of Travel
DOI
10.1097/MLR.0b013e3182902151
PubMed ID
23604017
Other Identifiers
Notes
Funding and Acknowledgements
Corresponding Author
Related Resources
Related Resources
Repository Citation
Rights
Distribution License