By: Jeffrey Maser  Mar. 13, 2018
A Dexur study of Medicare inpatient heart attack discharges from CMS shows that Dr. Deepak Pasi, of UNC REX Healthcare's Rex Hospital in Raleigh, accounted for the lowest average length of stay (LOS) among North Carolina physicians at 3.6 days in 2016. Dr. Shandal S. Emanuel and Dr. Nakshatra Saxena, both of Nash General Hospital in Rocky Mount, ranked 2nd and 3rd with average LOS of 3.7 days and 4.1 days, respectively. These three physicians were the only physicians in the state with an average length of stay under 5 days for the year. Dr. Ghiath Almasri of Vidant Medical Center in Greenville ranked 4th at 5.6 days and Dr. Kenneth Allan Cassell ranked 5th at 5.8 days.
Physicians in North Carolina were included in the rankings if they accounted for at least 11 DRG-280 (Acute Myocardial Infarction, Discharged Alive With Major Complication or Comorbidity) discharges between January - December 2016; only 10 physicians met this criteria. Throughout 2016, the nation averaged a 5.56 day average length of stay compared to a 5.31 day average LOS for Medicare enrollees specifically from North Carolina.
Along with accounting for the lowest average LOS among North Carolina physicians in 2016, Dr. Pasi also reported the lowest average LOS in the state between January 2013 - December 2016. During this four year time period, Dr. Pasi had an average length of stay of 4.1 days, 0.8 days lower than Dr. Saxena, the 2nd ranked physician at 4.9 days. These were the only two physicians in the state with an average LOS under 5 days for this analyzed period. Dr. Emanuel ranked 3rd at 5.4 days, Dr. Anthony C. Smith of Vidant Medical Center ranked 4th at 5.5 days, and Dr. Cassell ranked 5th at 5.6 days.