Search for Hospital & Physician Data, Research & Reports
Disease Burden News, Research & Data Analysis
Heart Valve Replacement Surgeries Have a Higher Case Mix Index When There is Cardiac Catheterization
By: James Pitt Aug. 17, 2018
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reimburses heart valve procedures based on which of six diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) they fall in. These groups are based on whether there were complications/ comorbidities (CCs) and on whether cardiac catheterization was used.
Read more
By: James Pitt Aug. 16, 2018
When plaque builds up in the arteries that carry blood to the brain, the patient has carotid artery disease. This disease creates a great risk of stroke, because plaque can break off and cause an obstruction in vessels in the brain. Carotid artery disease is involved in 8% of ischemic strokes. Per Weber and Clair 2014, “Carotid artery disease leading to stroke is one [of] the primary causes of serious long-term disability in the United States today.”
Read more
By: James Pitt Aug. 15, 2018
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a common condition in which narrowed blood vessels reduce blood flow to the limbs. Calcium buildups on the vessel walls frequently complicate treatment. Rocha-Singh et. al write “The prevalence of VC [vascular calcification] in lower extremity PAD is inadequately defined, but data extrapolated from other vascular beds provide evidence that 30-50% of patients may manifest some degree of VC.”
Read moreHospital & Physician News, Research & Data Analysis
By: James Pitt May. 03, 2018
Dexur’s analysis of Medicare claims data for hospitals serving Kern County residents showed that Bakersfield Heart Hospital had half the length of stay (LOS) & readmission rate of the second ranked hospital, San Joaquin Community Hospital. Dexur’s analytic criteria included hospitals that had greater than 5% market share across all inpatient discharges in Kern County. These hospitals were Bakersfield Heart Hospital (BHH), San Joaquin Community Hospital, Bakersfield Memorial Hospital & Mercy Hospital.
Read more
By: Jeffrey Maser May. 02, 2018
Augusta Health in Fishersville had the lowest average length of stay (LOS) for a 30-day episode of care with unplanned readmissions for patients with cardiac arrhythmia among all Virginia hospitals at 2.65 days, according to a Dexur study of CMS claims data between 2013-2016. Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville ranked 2nd at 2.88 days, followed closely by Riverside Tappahannock Hospital in Tappahannock at 2.92 days. Sentara RMH Medical Center in Harrisonburg ranked 4th at 2.99 days while Riverside Walter Reed Hospital in Gloucester rounded out the top five at 3.19 days. The average LOS for a 30-day episode of care with unplanned readmissions at these five facilities were each substantially lower than the national average of 3.95 days as well as the 3.85 day average for Virginia Medicare enrollees.
Read more
By: Jeffrey Maser May. 01, 2018
Dexur analysts studied Medicare inpatient spinal fusion (except cervical) discharge data from CMS and found that Optim Medical Center - Tattnall in Reidsville accounted for the lowest average length of stay (LOS) for a 30-day episode of care with unplanned readmissions among all hospitals in Georgia at 1.48 days between 2013-2016. Optim Medical Center - Tattnall was one of only two hospitals in the state with an average LOS under two days for a 30-day episode of care for spinal fusion patients. There was a substantial difference between the 2nd ranked hospital and the hospitals ranked 3rd - 5th as Piedmont Henry Hospital in Stockbridge ranked 2nd at 1.73 days while Floyd Medical Center in Rome ranked 3rd at 2.19 days. St. Joseph's Hospital in Savannah ranked just behind in 4th at 2.21 days and Memorial Health University Medical Center, also in Savannah, ranked 5th with a 2.22 day rate.
Read more