Page Memorial Hospital had the Lowest Average Length of Stay for a 30-Day Episode of Care for Heart Failure of all Virginia Hospitals between 2013-2016, Despite Being the Third Lowest Volume Facility in the State
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By: Jeffrey Maser Feb. 26, 2018
Dexur analysts studied Medicare heart failure inpatient data for Virginia hospitals and found that Page Memorial Hospital in Luray accounted for the lowest average length of stay (LOS) for a 30-day episode of care with unplanned readmissions among all Virginia hospitals between 2013-2016 at 3.91 days. Page Memorial Hospital was the only facility in the state with an average LOS for a 30-day episode of care under 3 days. Riverside Tappahannock Hospital in Tappahannock ranked 2nd at 4.02 days, Southampton Memorial Hospital in Franklin ranked 3rd at 4.24 days, Carilion Giles Community Hospital in Pearisburg ranked 4th at 4.3 days and Augusta Health in Fishersville ranked 5th at 4.42 days. These five hospitals were the only facilities in Virginia with a 30-day episode of care average LOS under four and a half days.
The average length of stay value for a 30-day episode of care is made up of the hospital’s length of stay for the initial discharge at the index hospital plus any additional days spent in the hospital within the first 30 days post-discharge due to an unplanned readmission. Unplanned readmissions are defined as readmitted hospital stays where the patient was readmitted through the emergency department. This rate takes readmissions into account along with any days spent in a hospital following the initial episode of care. It is important to note that patients are not necessarily readmitted to the index hospital for subsequent stays. Hospitals in Virginia were included in the rankings if they accounted for at least 30 DRG-291 (Heart Failure And Shock With Major Complication or Comorbidity) discharges between January 2013 - December 2016. Discharges where the patient expired, was transferred, or was discharged against medical advice were excluded from the totals.
Page Memorial Hospital’s average LOS for a 30-day episode of care for DRG-291 was about 3 days lower than the 7.08 day and 6.87 day average LOS for Medicare enrollees nationally and in Virginia, respectively. Interestingly, Page Memorial is one of the smallest hospitals in the state in terms of overall inpatient discharge volume, as their 345 total inpatient discharges accounted for only 0.11% of the total state inpatient market share. The only Virginia hospitals with fewer discharges than Page Memorial were Bath Community Hospital in Hot Springs and Carilion Tazewell Community Hospital in Tazewell. However, Carilion Tazewell ranked 16th in the rankings for lowest average LOS for a 30-day episode of care for DRG-291 with an average LOS of 5 days and Bath Community did not account for enough discharges at the DRG-level between the four year period to be included in the analysis.
1. Hospital Location, State Market Share of Total Inpatient Discharges in 2016 and DRG-291 Average LOS for 30-Day Episode of Care between January 2013 - December 2016 for the Nation, Virginia Medicare Enrollees and the 10 Virginia Hospitals with the Lowest DRG-291 Average LOS for 30-Day Episode of Care between January 2013 - December 2016
| Virginia Hospitals with Lowest Average Length of Stay for a 30-Day Episode of Care for DRG-291 (January 2013 - December 2016) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average LOS for 30-Day Episode of Care Rank (Lowest to Highest) | Hospital | Hospital City | State Market Share of Total Inpatient Discharges in 2016 (%) | Average LOS for 30 Day Episode of Care (Days) |
| Nation | 7.08 | |||
| VA | 6.87 | |||
| 1 | Page Memorial Hospital | Luray | 0.11 | 3.91 |
| 2 | Riverside Tappahannock Hospital | Tappahannock | 0.32 | 4.02 |
| 3 | Southampton Memorial Hospital | Franklin | 0.25 | 4.24 |
| 4 | Carilion Giles Community Hospital | Pearisburg | 0.11 | 4.3 |
| 5 | Augusta Health | Fishersville | 1.61 | 4.42 |
| 6 | Haymarket Medical Center | Haymarket | 0.2 | 4.5 |
| 7 | Riverside Doctors' Hospital | Williamsburg | 0.24 | 4.51 |
| 8 | Centra Bedford Memorial Hospital | Bedford | 0.27 | 4.54 |
| 9 | Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital | Rocky Mount | 0.21 | 4.61 |
| 10 | Shenandoah Memorial Hospital | Woodstock | 0.27 | 4.62 |
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