Dr. Jeffrey S. Gerdes Averaged the Lowest Length of Stay in Minnesota for Medicare Patients with Cervical Spinal Fusions in 2016 at 1.3 Days

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A study conducted by Dexur analyzed DRG-472 (Cervical Spinal Fusion with Complication or Comorbidity) Medicare inpatient discharges from Minnesota physicians and found that Dr. Jeffrey S. Gerdes of St. Cloud Hospital had the lowest average length of stay (LOS) in the state at 1.3 days in 2016. Dr. Thomas A. Garvey of Abbott Northwestern Hospital ranked 2nd, averaging 1.6 days for DRG-472 patients LOS. Length of stay is one means of measuring how efficiently physicians are able to treat patients and then discharge them. It is critical, however, that efforts to decrease LOS do not subsequently increase readmission rates and other hospital-tracked quality metrics.

This analysis was performed using physicians practicing at hospitals in Minnesota with at least 11 discharges at the DRG-level from January through December 2016. The graph above shows the physicians who met this criteria with the four lowest average LOS. For comparison, their average LOS over a longer time period, January 2013 to December 2016 is also included. Each of these physicians were able to decrease their average LOS from the four-year period to the most recent year of 2016, suggesting that efforts to decrease LOS for DRG-472 patients in Minnesota have been successful. These physicians were also well below both national and Minnesota averages, which included all physicians regardless of discharge volume.

Dr. Gerdes was able to move from 2nd ranked lowest average LOS from 2013-2016 to the lowest average LOS by decreasing his average length of stay by by 0.6 days. Dr. Garvey, who had the lowest average LOS from 2013-2016, had the 2nd lowest in 2016 as his LOS decreased by 0.2 days. Following him, Dr. Stefano M. Sinicropi and Dr. James Schwender both averaged 1.9 days for 2016, which was a 0.1 and 0.2 day decrease, respectively, from their four-year average. Dr. Sinicropi was mainly associated with HealthEast St. John’s Hospital while Dr. Schwender worked with Dr. Garvey at Abbott Northwestern Hospital.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Saparja Nag

Saparja is a healthcare journalist with a particular interest in how medicine can and should affect health policy. She has extensive experience as a health educator and research scientist in biochemistry. She also enjoys running, cooking elaborate meals, and then eating elaborate meals. Saparja received a Bachelors of Arts in Biochemistry from Vassar College.