Mercy Medical Center, in Baltimore, had a 30-Day Readmission Rate of 6% for Spine Procedure DRG-460, and was the Only Maryland Hospital to Achieve a Rate Below 10%
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By: Emily Carpintero Jan. 29, 2018
Dexur’s analysis on 2016 CMS administrative claims revealed that Mercy Medical Center was the highest discharging hospital in Maryland for all spine diagnosis-related groups combined, and had the lowest 30-day readmission rate for DRG-460 (spinal fusion except cervical without major complication or comorbidity) in the state at 6.08%. Mercy Medical Center’s readmission rate was more than double less than that of the second ranked hospital’s readmission rate in the state. Only hospitals with a minimum of 3,500 Medicare inpatient discharges and at least 11 discharges at the DRG-level between January and December 2016 were included in this analysis. 30-day readmission rates are a common metric used by healthcare professionals to evaluate quality outcomes and cost of care. For context, the top five hospitals with lowest 30-Day readmission rates for Medicare enrollees in Maryland for DRG-460 conditions are charted below.
There are 19 diagnosis related groups (DRGs) included under spine procedures—each varying in severity of complications and target areas of injury. For the purposes of this study DRG-460 was the only one analyzed, as it was the highest discharged and readmitted DRG in the state. Further below is a chart defining all 19 DRG-codes representing spine procedures.
Mercy Medical Center was the only hospital in Maryland to achieve a readmission rate for DRG-460 below 10%. Anne Arundel Medical Center ranked second for lowest 30-day readmission rate at 14.66%. The third and fourth ranked Maryland hospitals both also achieved readmission rates below 20%; Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, Inc. had a 30-day readmission rate of 15.28% and University of Maryland Medical Center had a 30-day readmission rate of 19.05%. The fifth ranked hospital for 30-day readmission rates for DRG-460 was Meritus Medical Center with a rate of 24.44%. Mercy Medical Center was the 28th highest volume hospital in Maryland for all Medicare inpatient discharges in 2016, according to Dexur data.
| DRG Code | DRG Description |
|---|---|
| 460 | Spinal fusion except cervical, without major complication or comorbidity |
| 473 | Cervical spinal fusion, without major/minor complication or comorbidity |
| 472 | Cervical spinal fusion, with complication or comorbidity |
| 520 | Back and neck procedures except spinal fusion without major/minor complication or comorbidity |
| 519 | Back and neck procedures except spinal fusion with minor complication or comorbidity |
| 459 | Spinal fusion except cervical with major complication or comorbidity |
| 457 | Spinal fusion except cervical with spinal curvature or malignancy or infection or extensive fusions with complication or comorbidity |
| 029 | Spinal procedures with complication or comorbidity or spinal neurostimulators |
| 471 | Cervical spinal fusion with major complication or comorbidity |
| 454 | Combined anterior/posterior spinal fusion with complication or comorbidity |
| 030 | Spinal procedures without major/minor complication or comorbidity |
| 455 | Combined anterior/posterior spinal fusion without major/minor complication or comorbidity |
| 052 | Spinal disorders and injuries with major/minor complication or comorbidity |
| 458 | Spinal fusion except cervical with spinal curvature or malignancy or infection or infection or extensive fusions without major/minor complication or comorbidity |
| 518 | Back and neck procedures except spinal fusion with major complication or comorbidity or disc device or neurostimulator |
| 028 | Spinal procedures with major complication or comorbidity |
| 456 | Spinal fusion except cervical with spinal curvature or malignancy or infection or infection or extensive fusions with major complication or comorbidity |
| 453 | Combined anterior/posterior spinal fusion with major complication or comorbidity |
| 053 | Spinal disorders and injuries without major/minor complication or comorbidity |
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