Abstract P220: Disparity In Hospital Admissions And Length Of Stay Based On Income Status For Emergency Department Hypertensive Crisis Visits: A Cross-sectional Study Using The Nationwide Emergency Department Sample

Hypertension ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 78 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shreya Srivastava ◽  
Bhargav Vemulapalli ◽  
Alexis K Okoh ◽  
John Kassotis
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Regression Model ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Hypertensive Crisis ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Delivery Of Care ◽  
Income Status ◽  
Ed Visits ◽  
Income Quartile

Introduction: Racial, gender and lower socioeconomic status have been shown to negatively impact the delivery of care. How this impacts the management of hypertensive crisis (HC) remains unclear. Objective: Identify disparities on admission frequency and length of stay (LOS) among those presenting with HC, as a function of household income. Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis of 2016 ED visits and supplemental Inpatient data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample. Median household income quartiles were established. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to estimate odds of admission in each income quartile. A multivariable linear regression model was used to predict LOS. Results: After applying sample weighting, the total number of ED visits was 33,728 with 25442, 6906, and 1380 visits for hypertensive urgency (HU), emergency (HE) and unspecified crisis, respectively. There were 13191, 8889, 6401, 5247 visits in the (1 st ) lowest, 2 nd , 3 rd and 4 th (highest) income quartiles, respectively. The median age was 61 and 58 years for HU and HE, respectively. The most common comorbidity was chronic kidney disease. Individuals with the highest income, had a lower odds of admission compared to the lowest quartile [Adjusted Odds Ratio: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.22,0.74] ( Figure 1a ). There was a significant linear association between income quartile and LOS across all HC and HE [beta coefficient: 0.411, 0.407 p value = 0.015, 0.019] ( Figure 1b ). Conclusions: In this study, patients with lower income were more likely to be admitted, while those with higher income exhibited a longer LOS. Clinicians must be made aware these disparities to ensure the equitable delivery of care.

Reduced rate of postpartum readmissions among homeless compared with non-homeless women in New York: a population-based study using serial, cross-sectional data

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjqs-2020-012898
Author(s):  
Rie Sakai-Bizmark ◽  
Hiraku Kumamaru ◽  
Dennys Estevez ◽  
Sophia Neman ◽  
Lauren E M Bedel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
New York ◽  
Random Effect ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Homeless Women ◽  
Homeless Population ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Ed Visits ◽  
Income Quartile

ObjectiveTo assess differences in rates of postpartum hospitalisations among homeless women compared with non-homeless women.DesignCross-sectional secondary analysis of readmissions and emergency department (ED) utilisation among postpartum women using hierarchical regression models adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, insurance type during delivery, delivery length of stay, maternal comorbidity index score, other pregnancy complications, neonatal complications, caesarean delivery, year fixed effect and a birth hospital random effect.SettingNew York statewide inpatient and emergency department databases (2009–2014).Participants82 820 and 1 026 965 postpartum homeless and non-homeless women, respectively.Main outcome measuresPostpartum readmissions (primary outcome) and postpartum ED visits (secondary outcome) within 6 weeks after discharge date from delivery hospitalisation.ResultsHomeless women had lower rates of both postpartum readmissions (risk-adjusted rates: 1.4% vs 1.6%; adjusted OR (aOR) 0.87, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.00, p=0.048) and ED visits than non-homeless women (risk-adjusted rates: 8.1% vs 9.5%; aOR 0.83, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.90, p<0.001). A sensitivity analysis stratifying the non-homeless population by income quartile revealed significantly lower hospitalisation rates of homeless women compared with housed women in the lowest income quartile. These results were surprising due to the trend of postpartum hospitalisation rates increasing as income levels decreased.ConclusionsTwo factors likely led to lower rates of hospital readmissions among homeless women. First, barriers including lack of transportation, payment or childcare could have impeded access to postpartum inpatient and emergency care. Second, given New York State’s extensive safety net, discharge planning such as respite and sober living housing may have provided access to outpatient care and quality of life, preventing adverse health events. Additional research using outpatient data and patient perspectives is needed to recognise how the factors affect postpartum health among homeless women. These findings could aid in lowering readmissions of the housed postpartum population.

scholarly journals National Trends in Emergency Department Care Processes for Acute Myocardial Infarction in the United States, 2005 to 2015

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (20) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akshay Pendyal ◽  
Craig Rothenberg ◽  
Jean E. Scofi ◽  
Harlan M. Krumholz ◽  
Basmah Safdar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Acute Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Real World ◽  
The United States ◽  
Emergency Department Care ◽  
Care Processes ◽  
Ed Visits

Background Despite investments to improve quality of emergency care for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), few studies have described national, real‐world trends in AMI care in the emergency department (ED). We aimed to describe trends in the epidemiology and quality of AMI care in US EDs over a recent 11‐year period, from 2005 to 2015. Methods and Results We conducted an observational study of ED visits for AMI using the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a nationally representative probability sample of US EDs. AMI visits were classified as ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non‐STEMI. Outcomes included annual incidence of AMI, median ED length of stay, ED disposition type, and ED administration of evidence‐based medications. Annual ED visits for AMI decreased from 1 493 145 in 2005 to 581 924 in 2015. Estimated yearly incidence of ED visits for STEMI decreased from 1 402 768 to 315 813. The proportion of STEMI sent for immediate, same‐hospital catheterization increased from 12% to 37%. Among patients with STEMI sent directly for catheterization, median ED length of stay decreased from 62 to 37 minutes. ED administration of antithrombotic and nonaspirin antiplatelet agents rose for STEMI (23%–31% and 10%–27%, respectively). Conclusions National, real‐world trends in the epidemiology of AMI in the ED parallel those of clinical registries, with decreases in AMI incidence and STEMI proportion. ED care processes for STEMI mirror evolving guidelines that favor high‐intensity antiplatelet therapy, early invasive strategies, and regionalization of care.

101 National Trends in Emergency Department Ondansetron Use and Clinical Outcomes Among Children with Acute Gastroenteritis

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. e72-e73
Author(s):  
Sarah Rogers ◽  
Stephen Freedman ◽  
Terry Klassen ◽  
Brett Burstein
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Acute Gastroenteritis ◽  
Multivariable Analysis ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Fluid Administration ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Ed Visits ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Primary Subject area Emergency Medicine - Paediatric Background Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is among the most common illnesses for which children are evaluated in the Emergency Department (ED). Among children with AGE, ondansetron has been shown to reduce vomiting, intravenous (IV) fluid administration and hospitalizations when administered in the ED. Objectives To determine whether increasing ondansetron administration is associated with a concomitant decline in IV rehydration and hospitalization among children presenting with AGE in a broad, nationally representative ED sample. Design/Methods This was a cross-sectional analysis of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) database from 2006 to 2015. Children &lt; 18 years old with a discharge diagnosis of AGE were included for analysis. Survey weighting procedures were applied to generate population-level estimates and to perform multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with ondansetron administration. Results There were an estimated 15.1 million (95% CI 13.5-16.7) visits for AGE during the 10-year study period. AGE visits increased as a proportion of all pediatric ED visits over time (4.6% in 2006, 5.7% in 2015; p-trend=0.013). The mean patient age was 4.7 (95% CI 4.5-5.0) years, and most visits were to non-teaching (86.6%, 95% CI 83.3-89.3%) and non-pediatric (83.4%, 95% CI 78.2-87.5%) hospitals. The proportion of patients receiving ondansetron increased over time (11.8% in 2006, 62.5% in 2015; p-trend &lt; 0 .001), both in the ED (10.6% in 2006, 55.5% in 2015; p-trend &lt; 0 .001) and as outpatient prescriptions (3.3% in 2006, 45.3% in 2015; p-trend &lt; 0 .001). Over the same period, there was no change in hospitalizations (2.9% overall, 95% CI 2.2-3.7%; p-trend=0.144). IV hydration for AGE decreased (31.8% in 2006, 24.9% in 2015; p-trend &lt; 0 .048), as did IV fluid administration across all other pediatric ED visits (10.3% in 2006, 7.8% in 2015; p-trend &lt; 0 .023). After adjustment for patient- and hospital-level factors, the odds ratio for IV rehydration among children with AGE was 0.97 (95% CI 0.92-1.01). Multivariable analysis found younger age (aOR 0.94, 95% CI 1.04-1.09), Medicaid/Medicare insurance (aOR 0.74; 95% CI 0.57-0.97), and presentation to a teaching hospital (aOR 0.74; 95% CI 0.54-0.99) were inversely associated with ondansetron administration. Other antiemetics most commonly used were promethazine (7.4%, 95% CI 5.9-9.2%), metoclopramide (1.8%, 95% CI 1.3-2.5%) and trimethobenzamide (1.5%, 95% CI 1.1-2.1%). Antimotility agents, H2-receptor blockers, and probiotics were infrequently used. Conclusion Both ED and outpatient prescribing of ondansetron for children with AGE increased; however, no concomitant decline was observed in hospitalizations or IV rehydration. Guidelines and quality improvement efforts are needed to target ondansetron administration to children most likely to benefit to minimize adverse events and costs associated with overuse.

scholarly journals Adjacent Primary Care May Reduce Less Urgent Pediatric Emergency Department Visits

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 215013272092627
Author(s):  
Julia Ellbrant ◽  
Jonas Åkeson ◽  
Helena Sletten ◽  
Jenny Eckner ◽  
Pia Karlsland Åkeson
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
Patient Characteristics ◽  
Pediatric Emergency ◽  
Emergency Department Visits ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Pediatric Emergency Department ◽  
Hospital Data ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Ed Visits

Aims: Pediatric emergency department (ED) overcrowding is a challenge. This study was designed to evaluate if a hospital-integrated primary care unit (HPCU) reduces less urgent visits at a pediatric ED. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out at a university hospital in Sweden, where the HPCU, open outside office hours, had been integrated next to the ED. Children seeking ED care during 4-week high- and low-load study periods before (2012) and after (2015) implementation of the HPCU were included. Information on patient characteristics, ED management, and length of ED stay was obtained from hospital data registers. Results: In total, 3216 and 3074 ED patient visits were recorded in 2012 and 2015, respectively. During opening hours of the HPCU, the proportions of pediatric ED visits (28% lower; P < .001), visits in the lowest triage group (36% lower; P < .001), patients presenting with fever ( P = .001) or ear pain ( P < .001), and nonadmitted ED patients ( P = .033), were significantly lower in 2015 than in 2012, whereas the proportion of infants ≤3 months was higher in 2015 ( P < .001). Conclusions: By enabling adjacent management of less urgent pediatric patients at adequate lower levels of medical care, implementation of a HPCU outside office hours may contribute to fewer and more appropriate pediatric ED visits.

scholarly journals Specialized fast track: a sustainable model to improve emergency department patient flow

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 40
Author(s):  
Emilpaolo Manno ◽  
Marco Pesce ◽  
Umberto Stralla ◽  
Federico Festa ◽  
Silvio Geninatti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Fast Track ◽  
Patient Flow ◽  
Wait Time ◽  
Emergency Department Patient ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Time Length ◽  
Hospital Units ◽  
Ed Visits

Objective: Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is a hospital-wide problem that demands a whole-hospital solution. We developed and implemented a fast track model for streaming ED patients with low-acuity illness or injury to specialized care areas (gynecology-obstetrics, orthopedics-trauma, pediatrics, and primary care) staffed by existing specialist resources with access to general ED services. The study aim was to determine whether streaming of ED visits into specialized fast track areas increased operational efficiency and improved patient flow in a mixed adult and pediatric ED without incurring extra costs.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the ED discharge records of patients who were mainstreamed or fast tracked during the 3-year period from 1 January 2010 through 31 December 2012. ED visits were identified according to a five-level triage scheme; performance indicators were compared for: wait time, length of stay, leave before being seen and revisit rates.Results: A reduction in wait time, length of stay, and leave before being seen rate was seen with fast track streaming (p < .01). These improvements were achieved without additional medical and nurse staffing.Conclusions: Specialized fast track streaming helped us meet patients’ care needs and contain costs. Lower-acuity patients were seen quickly by a specialist and safely discharged or admitted to the hospital without diverting resources from patients with high-acuity illness or injury. Involvement of all stakeholders in seeking a sustainable solution to ED crowding as a hospital-wide problem was key to enhancing cooperation between the ED and the hospital units.

scholarly journals P118: Older adults in the emergency department: a retrospective cross-sectional study of the geriatric population in Edmonton emergency departments

CJEM ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (S1) ◽  
pp. S106-S107
Author(s):  
K. Morch ◽  
R. Schonnop ◽  
A. Gauri ◽  
D. Ha
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
Geriatric Patient ◽  
Geriatric Patients ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Region ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Ed Visits

Introduction: The geriatric patient population accounts for an ever increasing proportion of emergency department (ED) visits. Geriatric centered EDs are an emerging area of interest and research. Though there have been past studies looking at older patient presentations at individual hospitals, there is limited data describing geriatric presentations within an entire Canadian geographic health region. This study characterizes the population of older adults utilizing the EDs in the Edmonton Zone, a health region that comprises a total of eleven tertiary (T), urban community (UC) and rural community (RC) hospitals. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study targeted all patients ≥65 years presenting to the Edmonton Zone EDs between April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018. Data was extracted from the Emergency Department Information System (EDIS) database for ten EDs in the health region. Clinical and administrative data points were extracted and examined for each site. Results: We analyzed 100,813 ED geriatric patient visits during our study period, accounting for 18.7% of total ED visits to the Edmonton Zone. The five most common triage complaints at ED presentation were shortness of breath, abdominal pain, chest pain with cardiac features, general weakness, and back pain. CTAS scores 1-3 were assigned to 77.8% of geriatric presentations (T: 86.3%, UC: 77.4%, RC: 60.9%). 27.3% of geriatric patients had presented to an ED within the past 30 days (T: 30.0%, UC: 25.4%, RC: 27.7%). On average, 35.3% of older adult ED visits involved a consultation (T: 51.7%, UC 30.8%, RC 14.6%) and approximately 25% of geriatric patients were admitted to hospital during their ED visit (T: 42.8%, UC: 19.4%, RC: 7.1%). The average length of stay (LOS) in the ED (hh:mm) was 10:19 (T: 10:24, UC: 11:38, RC: 5:43). Overall, 2.4% of all geriatric patients left an ED without being seen after initial registration (T: 2.7%, UC: 2.2%, RC: 2.1%). Conclusion: Older adults represent a significant proportion of the ED visits in the Edmonton Zone. The triage acuity, LOS, re-presentation, consultation and admission rates varied based on the type of ED, which has implications for resource allocation within the health region. Our results can also direct future targeted initiatives and quality improvement projects to the various types of EDs in the Edmonton Zone, and facilitate planning of ED services for older adults in other health regions who have a similar geographic distribution of care sites.

scholarly journals P090: Comparing patients who leave the emergency department prematurely, before versus after medical evaluation: a NHAMCS analysis

CJEM ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (S1) ◽  
pp. S108-S108
Author(s):  
J. Moe ◽  
J.B. Belsky
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
Private Insurance ◽  
High Risk Patient ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Medical Professional ◽  
Medical Provider ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Medical Evaluation ◽  
Ed Visits

Introduction: Many patients leave the Emergency Department (ED) before beginning or completing medical evaluation. Some of these patients may be at higher medical risk depending on their timing of leaving the ED. The objective of this study was to compare patient, hospital, and visit characteristics of patients leaving prior to completing medical care in the ED either before or after evaluation by a medical provider. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of ED visits using the 2009-2011 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. The target population was identified by coded dispositions corresponding to leaving prior to completing medical care, and two groups were defined based on whether or not they had been evaluated by a medical professional. Data are reported as means (with standard errors) and proportions, and bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed. All analysis was performed using SAS 9.4 and SUDAAN 11.0.1 to account for the complex sample design. Results: 100,962 ED visits were documented from 2009-2011, representing a weighted count of 402,211,907 total ED visits. 2,646 (3%) resulted in a disposition of left without completing medical care. Of these visits, 1,792 (68%) left prior to being seen by a medical provider versus 854 (32%) who left after medical provider evaluation. Patients who left after being assessed by a medical provider were older, had higher acuity visits, were more likely to have visited an ED without nursing triage, more likely to have arrived by ambulance, and more likely to have private insurance than other payment arrangements (e.g. worker’s compensation or charity). Conclusion: When comparing all patients who left the ED prior to completion of care, those who left after versus before medical provider evaluation differed in their patient, hospital, and visit characteristics and may represent a high risk patient group.

scholarly journals Implementation of a Physician Incentivized QI Strategy to Address Time to Parenteral Analgesia in Patients with Voe in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Blood ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 2989-2989
Author(s):  
Romy Shane ◽  
Sanjay J. Shah ◽  
Blake Bulloch ◽  
Anita Bharath
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Hospital Length ◽  
Hospital Length Of Stay ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Opioid Administration ◽  
Ed Visits ◽  
Mean Time ◽  
Timely Administration ◽  
Order Set

Abstract Introduction Vaso-occlusive episodes (VOE) are the most common cause of pediatric Emergency Department (ED) visits and hospitalizations in Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute published an Expert Panel Report regarding the management of SCD and VOE. Their consensus statement recommends initiating analgesic therapy within 30 minutes of triage or within 60 minutes of registration in the Emergency Department. Previous studies have demonstrated that earlier maximum opioid has been associated with shorter length of hospitalization and improved time to ED disposition decision. Despite the overwhelming evidence for timely administration of parenteral analgesic, significant delays still exist in delivery of pain medication in the pediatric SCD population. Barriers to timely administration include rapid triage of SCD patients, provider ordering of pain medication, and peripheral intravenous access. Therefore, a standardized approach to pain management may improve ED management of SCD crises. In order to address timely administration of opiates to SCD patients with VOE episodes in our pediatric ED a SCD pain order set was developed. This order set implemented the use of intranasal (IN) fentanyl as a first line analgesic for SCD patients who presents to the ED with VOE. The purpose of this study was addressing barriers to decrease time to parenteral opioid administration in the pediatric ED. Methods This Quality Improvement (QI) measure was performed at a free-standing, urban pediatric ED. Patients were included if they had a diagnosis of SCD and presented with a pain score &gt;5 and without fever. A PDSA cycle was utilized for designing and evaluating the proposed changes. This cycle consisted of three intervention phases: (1) electronic medical record (EMR) order set development in October 2019, (2) provider incentive for order set use in January 2020, and (3) nursing/patient & family education in April 2020. Baseline data was collected pre-intervention from April-September 2019. The outcomes measures were mean time to 1 st analgesic, mean time from triage to disposition, Hospital Length of Stay, and overall admission rates. Our balancing measure included 48 hour ED re-visits after discharge. Results There were 67 ED visits from April-September 2019 (pre-intervention) and 104 ED visits in the post-intervention data from October-June 2020. There was no significant difference in age or initial pain score in the pre- and post- intervention groups. Improvements were seen in: mean time to first analgesic (58 to 26 minutes), time to disposition (271 to 213 minutes). Hospital length of stay was found to increase with the introduction of IN fentanyl: pre-intervention (120 hours), phase 1 (148 hours), phase 2 (152 hours), phase 3 (218 hours). However, the overall admission rate decreased (55% to 44%). The number of 48-hour ED re-visits remained stable. Conclusion By using QI methods to address key barriers in the pediatric ED, we demonstrated that timely administration of parenteral analgesic can be achieved for SCD patients with VOE. Utilizing the EMR order set allowed for more stream-lined care, both by physicians and nursing staff, resulting in more rapid ordering of medication therefore decreasing time to ED disposition. Additional interventions such as provider incentivization to meet the goal of parenteral opioids within 30 minutes of patient arrival led to further improvement. One of the greatest barriers to our QI intervention was hesitancy both by patients and their caregivers regarding the efficacy of IN fentanyl in decreasing pain compared to IV opioid. Further education was needed both for families and medical staff regarding the efficacy of IN fentanyl as a first line analgesic. It is unclear why overall hospital length of stay was not shown to be decreased with these interventions but this can be offset by an overall decrease in hospital admissions seen with our interventions. This data may be limited by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and how psychosocial stressors can impact patients with chronic medical conditions. Length of stay is also confounded by other factors during the hospitalization and acquisition of other diagnoses such as acute chest. Future research is needed to determine if the demonstrated trend of admission rates and hospital length of stay can be replicated in other pediatric EDs and whether earlier opioid administration affects the outcome of VOEs beyond the ED. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

scholarly journals Variation Among Hospitals in the Continuity of Care for Older Hospitalized Patients: a Cross-sectional Cohort Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
James S. Goodwin ◽  
Shuang Li ◽  
Jie Zhou ◽  
Yong-Fang Kuo ◽  
Ann Nattinger
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Regression Model ◽  
Continuity Of Care ◽  
Logistic Regression Model ◽  
Large Degree ◽  
Patient Characteristics ◽  
Hospitalized Patients ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: Little is known about how continuity of care for hospitalized patients varies among hospitals. We describe the number of different general internal medicine physicians seeing hospitalized patients during a medical admission and how that varies by hospital. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of a national 20% sample of Medicare inpatients from 01/01/16 to 12/31/18. In patients with routine medical admissions (length of stay of 3-6 days, no Intensive Care Unit stay, and seen by only one generalist per day), we assessed odds of receiving all generalist care from one generalist. We calculated rates for each hospital, adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics in a multi-level logistic regression model. Results: Among routine medical admissions with 3- to 6-day stays, only 43.1% received all their generalist care from the same physician. In those with a 3-day stay, 50.1% had one generalist providing care vs. 30.8% in those with a 6-day stay. In a two-level (admission and hospital) logistic regression model controlling for patient characteristics and length of stay, the odds of seeing just one generalist did not vary greatly by patient characteristics such as age, race/ethnicity, comorbidity or reason for admission. There were large variations in continuity of care among different hospitals and geographic areas. In the highest decile of hospitals, the adjusted mean percentage of patients receiving all generalist care from one physician was >84.1%, vs. <24.1% in the lowest decile. This large degree of variation persisted when hospitals were stratified by size, ownership, location or teaching status. Conclusions: Continuity of care provided by generalist physicians to medical inpatients varies widely among hospitals. The impact of this variation on quality of care is unknown.

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