Abstract WP318: Mortality Among Newly Certified Stroke Centers and Other Hospitals in the U.S.

Stroke ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shumei Man ◽  
Jesse D Schold ◽  
Ken Uchino

Introduction: Primary Stroke Center (PSC) certification was established to improve stroke care. The numbers of PSCs have significantly increased in the past decade. However, it remains unclear whether PSC certification has any impact on stroke mortality. We examined the short term mortality of hospitals that received initial PSC certification between 2009 and 2013 (new PSCs), compared to those received PSC certification before 2009 (existing PSCs) and those never received PSC certification (NSCs). Method: The inclusion criteria was Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥65 years who were hospitalized between January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2013 with a primary discharge diagnosis of ischemic stroke. The patient information were obtained from the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MEDPAR) file. The list and characteristics of hospitals were obtained from the American Hospital Association Annual Survey Database. This study included only those general hospitals with emergency departments. All statistical analyses were performed using SAS Version 9.4 software. Results: Among 1165,960 Medicare beneficiaries included in this study, 28.9% were treated at 2640 NSCs, 24.6% were treated at 634 new PSCs, and 46.6% were treated at 785 existing PSCs. Higher percentages of patients at new and existing PSCs had complicated hypertension, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, prior history of cerebrovascular disease, any malignancy, metastatic cancer, peripheral artery disease and smoking (p<0.0001). New PSCs had the lowest unadjusted in-hospital all-cause mortality, followed by NSCs and existing PSCs (4.2%, 4.6% and 5% respectively). Both New and existing PSC groups had lower unadjusted 30 day compared to NSCs (12.5%, 13.2% and 13.7%). New PSCs had lower unadjusted and adjusted 30 day mortality than existing PSCs (Hazard Ratio 0.981, 95% Confidence Interval (0.968, 0.993)). Conclusion: The PSCs that were newly certified between 2009 and 2013 had lower unadjusted in-hospital and 30 day mortality after stroke than existing PSCs and NSCs. It is important to further understand whether this difference results from change in patient population or quality of care.

Stroke ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine McDonald ◽  
Steven Cen ◽  
Lucas Ramirez ◽  
William J Mack ◽  
Nerses Sanossian

Background: Organized stroke systems of care, including accreditation of hospitals as primary stroke centers (PSC), are meant to improve patient care and compliance with national guidelines. Nationwide, less than a third of eligible hospitals have achieved advanced certification in stroke. We aimed to characterize hospital factors associated with achievement of stroke center certification. Methods: We utilized the 2011 American Hospital Association survey to obtain data on hospital characteristics. Only hospitals with ≥ 25 beds and 24-hour emergency departments were evaluated. The Joint Commission (TJC), Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program and DNV Healthcare websites were used to determine certification status of each hospital as a primary stroke center. All comprehensive SC were considered as PSC. Factors found to be associated with achievement of certification (P<0.010) were evaluated by logistic regression to determine a final model of independent association. Results: Of the 3696 hospitals to complete the survey, 3069 fulfilled study criteria, including 908 PSC (31%) and 2161 non-PSC. PSC were larger (mean 354 vs. 136 beds), had busier EDs (56,000 vs. 24,000 visits/year), were more often affiliated with ACGME residency programs (43% vs. 14%), AMA medical schools (51% vs. 21%), TJC-accreditation (95% vs. 65%), inpatient neurological services (94% vs. 46%) and trauma centers (55% VS 38%); and were less likely to be governmental (Federal/State/County 10% vs. 26%) and designated sole community provider (1% vs 9%). Independent hospital characteristics associated with PSC certification were TJC accreditation (OR 3.5, 95%CI 2.4-5.0), sole community provider (OR 0.22, 0.10-0.47), hospital type (governmental vs. non 0.61, 0.44-0.84), increasing size (per quartile in number of beds OR 2.5, 2.1-3.1) and neurological services (OR 3.2, 2.4-4.6). Conclusions: PSC hospitals are larger non-governmental hospitals with availability of neurological services. Increasing the low numbers of governmental (i.e. County or State) hospital achievement of PSC may be a potential area of focus.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Karen C. Albright ◽  
Amelia K. Boehme ◽  
Michael T. Mullen ◽  
Tzu-Ching Wu ◽  
Charles C. Branas ◽  
...  

Background. Ischemic stroke is a time sensitive disease with the effectiveness of treatment decreasing over time. Treatment is more likely to occur at Primary Stroke Centers (PSC); thus rapid access to acute stroke care through stand-alone PSCs or telemedicine (TM) is vital for all Americans. The objective of this study is to determine if disparities exist in access to PSCs or the extended access to acute stroke care provided by TM.Methods. Data from the US Census Bureau and the 2010 Neilson Claritas Demographic Estimation Program, American Hospital Association annual survey, and The Joint Commission list of PSCs and survey response data for all hospitals in the state of Texas were used.Results. Over 64% of block groups had 60-minute ground access to acute stroke care. The odds of a block group having 60-minute access to acute stroke care decreased with age, despite adjustment for sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, urbanization, and total population.Conclusion. Our survey of Texas hospitals found that as the median age of a block group increased, the odds of having access to acute stroke care decreased.


2021 ◽  
pp. 194187442110070
Author(s):  
Felix Ejike Chukwudelunzu ◽  
Bart M Demaerschalk ◽  
Leonardo Fugoso ◽  
Emeka Amadi ◽  
Donn Dexter ◽  
...  

Background and purpose: In-hospital stroke-onset assessment and management present numerous challenges, especially in community hospitals. Comprehensive analysis of key stroke care metrics in community-based primary stroke centers is under-studied. Methods: Medical records were reviewed for patients admitted to a community hospital for non-cerebrovascular indications and for whom a stroke alert was activated between 2013 and 2019. Demographic, clinical, radiologic and laboratory information were collected for each incident stroke. Descriptive statistical analysis was employed. When applicable, Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-Square tests were used to compare median values and categorical data between pre-specified groups. Statistical significance was set at alpha = 0.05. Results: There were 192 patients with in-hospital stroke-alert activation; mean age (SD) was 71.0 years (15.0), 49.5% female. 51.6% (99/192) had in-hospital ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. The most frequent mechanism of stroke was cardioembolism. Upon stroke activation, 45.8% had ischemic stroke while 40.1% had stroke mimics. Stroke team response time from activation was 26 minutes for all in-hospital activations. Intravenous thrombolysis was utilized in 8% of those with ischemic stroke; 3.4% were transferred for consideration of endovascular thrombectomy. In-hospital mortality was 17.7%, and the proportion of patients discharged to home was 34.4% for all activations. Conclusion: The in-hospital stroke mortality was high, and the proportions of patients who either received or were considered for acute intervention were low. Quality improvement targeting increased use of acute stroke intervention in eligible patients and reducing hospital mortality in this patient cohort is needed.


2011 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 316-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa M. Garrido ◽  
Kirk C. Allison ◽  
Mark J. Bergeron ◽  
Bryan Dowd

The effect of hospital organizational affiliation on perinatal outcomes is unknown. Using the 2004 American Hospital Association Annual Survey and Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases, the authors examined relationships among organizational affiliation, equipment and service availability and provision, and in-hospital mortality for 5,133 infants across five states born with very low and extremely low birth weight and congenital anomalies. In adjusted bivariate probit selection models, the authors found that government hospitals had significantly higher mortality rates than not-for-profit nonreligious hospitals. Mortality differences among other types of affiliation (Catholic, not-for-profit religious, not-for-profit nonreligious, and for-profit) were not statistically significant. This is encouraging as health care reform efforts call for providers at facilities with different institutional values to coordinate care across facilities. Although there are anecdotes of facility religious affiliation being related to health care decisions, the authors did not find evidence of these relationships in their data.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-121
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Harrison ◽  
Aaron Spaulding ◽  
Debra A. Harrison

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the community dynamics and organizational characteristics of US hospitals that participate in accountable care organizations (ACO). Design/methodology/approach Data were obtained from the 2015 American Hospital Association annual survey and the 2015 medicare final rule standardizing file. The study evaluated 785 hospitals which operate ACO in contrast to 1,446 hospitals without an ACO. Findings In total, 89 percent of hospitals using ACO’s are located in urban communities and 87 percent are not-for-profit. Hospitals with a higher case mix index are more likely to have an ACO. Practical implications ACOs allow healthcare organizations to expand their geographic markets, achieve greater efficiencies, and enhance the development of new clinical services. They also shift the focus of care from acute care hospitalization to the full continuum of care. Originality/value This research found ACOs with hospital and physician networks are an effective mechanism to control healthcare costs and reduce medical errors.


Stroke ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deb Motz ◽  
Dicky Huey ◽  
Tracy Moore ◽  
Byron Freemyer ◽  
Tommye Austin

Background: In 2008, a city with a population of over one million people had no organized stroke care or Certified Primary Stroke Centers. Patients presenting with stroke symptoms had inconsistent neurology coverage and little or no access to rtPA. The purpose is to describe steps taken for five acute-care hospitals (with one CMS provider number) to become Primary Stroke Certified. Methods: The journey began with administrative support and a commitment to provide the resources for a successful program. To oversee development, a Medical Director and Stroke Coordinator were appointed. To bridge the gap in available specialty physicians, partnerships were formed with a telemedicine group to provide emergency treatment and an academic medical center to augment the neurology and neuro-surgical coverage. Multidisciplinary teams met monthly in each facility. Representatives from each team formed a regional committee and an education council was created to share best practices and assure consistency across the system. Evidenced based order sets were developed using clinical practice guidelines. The Medical Executive Committee at each facility and ultimately the Medical Executive Board endorsed the order sets and mandated their use. Each facility chose the appropriate unit to cohort the stroke patients which encouraged expertise in care. Results: This journey resulted in a high functioning system of care. Baptist Health System became Joint Commission Certified in all five locations (May 2009). We were awarded the Get with the Guidelines Bronze Award (September 2010), the Silver Plus Award (July 2011) and the Gold Plus Award (July 2012). In addition, we were the first in Texas to achieve the Target Stroke Honor Roll (Q3 2011) and have maintained this status for eight consecutive quarters. Conclusion: In conclusion, administrative support is imperative to the success of a stroke program. Leadership, partnerships, committees, councils and staff involvement from the start drove the team to a successful certification process with outstanding outcomes. The stroke committees continue to meet monthly to analyze performance measures, identify opportunities for improvement and execute action plans.


Stroke ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunjuan Wang ◽  
Zixiao Li ◽  
Yilong Wang ◽  
Yong Jiang ◽  
Xingquan Zhao ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose: Stroke is the first leading cause of death in China and millions of patients were admitted to various levels of hospitals each year. However, it is unknown how many of these hospitals are able to provide an appropriate level of care for stroke patients since the certification program of comprehensive stroke center (CSC) and primary stroke center (PSC) has not been initiated in China. Method: In 2012, we selected all 554 hospitals that joined into the China Stroke Research Network (CSRN) to start a survey. These hospitals were from 31 provinces or municipalities, covered nearly the entire Mainland China. A six-page questionnaire was sent to each of them to obtain the stroke facility information. We used the same criteria and definitions for CSC, PSC, and minimum level for any hospital ward (AHW) admitting stroke patients with that of the European Stroke Facilities Survey. Results: For all the hospitals in CSRN, 521 (94.0%) returned the questionnaire, 20 (3.8%) met criteria for CSC, 179 (34.4%) for PSC, 64 (12.3%) for AHW, and 258 (49.5%) met none of them and provided a lower level of care. Hospitals meeting criteria for CSC, PSC, AHW, and none of them admitted 70 052 (8.8%), 334 834 (42.2%), 88 364 (11.1%), and 299 806 (37.8%) patients in the whole of last year. There was no 24-hour availability for brain CT scan in 4.3% of hospitals not meeting criteria for AHW, while neither stroke care map nor stroke pathway for patients admission in 81.0% of them. Conclusions: Less than two fifths of Chinese hospitals admitting acute stroke patients have optimal facilities, and nearly half even the minimum level is not available. Our study suggests that only one half acute stroke patients are treated in appropriate centers in China, facilities for hospitals admitting stroke patients should be enhanced and certification project of CSCs and PSCs may be a feasible choice.


Circulation ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 139 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Dunn ◽  
Selena Pasadyn ◽  
Francis May ◽  
Dolora Wisco

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ozan Unlu ◽  
Emily B. Levitan ◽  
Evgeniya Reshetnyak ◽  
Jerard Kneifati-Hayek ◽  
Ivan Diaz ◽  
...  

Background: Despite potential harm that can result from polypharmacy, real-world data on polypharmacy in the setting of heart failure (HF) are limited. We sought to address this knowledge gap by studying older adults hospitalized for HF derived from the REGARDS study (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke). Methods: We examined 558 older adults aged ≥65 years with adjudicated HF hospitalizations from 380 hospitals across the United States. We collected and examined data from the REGARDS baseline assessment, medical charts from HF-adjudicated hospitalizations, the American Hospital Association annual survey database, and Medicare’s Hospital Compare website. We counted the number of medications taken at hospital admission and discharge; and classified each medication as HF-related, non-HF cardiovascular-related, or noncardiovascular-related. Results: The vast majority of participants (84% at admission and 95% at discharge) took ≥5 medications; and 42% at admission and 55% at discharge took ≥10 medications. The prevalence of taking ≥10 medications (polypharmacy) increased over the study period. As the number of total medications increased, the number of noncardiovascular medications increased more rapidly than the number of HF-related or non-HF cardiovascular medications. Conclusions: Defining polypharmacy as taking ≥10 medications might be more ideal in the HF population as most patients already take ≥5 medications. Polypharmacy is common both at admission and hospital discharge, and its prevalence is rising over time. The majority of medications taken by older adults with HF are noncardiovascular medications. There is a need to develop strategies that can mitigate the negative effects of polypharmacy among older adults with HF.


Stroke ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine McDonald ◽  
Steven Cen ◽  
Lucas Ramirez ◽  
William J Mack ◽  
Nerses Sanossian

Background: Nationwide less than a third of eligible hospitals have achieved advanced certification in stroke, and there may be disparities affecting less affluent areas serving a higher proportion of minorities. We aimed to characterize demographic and regional factors associated with achievement of stroke center certification while controlling for hospital characteristics. Methods: We linked the 2011 American Hospital Association survey of hospital characteristics to the 2010 national census for population and household data by region. Emergency medical services stroke routing data was obtained from communication with state and county contact. Only hospitals with ≥ 25 beds and 24-hour emergency departments were evaluated. The Joint Commission, Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program and DNV Healthcare websites were used to determine certification status of each hospital. We controlled for hospital bed size, teaching affiliation (AMA, ACGME), emergency department volume, rural designation, hospital type (governmental/for-profit/nonprofit), and trauma center designation in analysis. Results: Of the 3696 hospitals to complete the survey, the 3069 fulfilling study criteria included 908 PSC (31%) and 2161 non-PSC. In univariate analysis PSC hospitals were located in areas with greater population in immediate vicinity (29, 316 vs. 20,901, p<0.0001), greater proportion of minorities (73% white, 16% black, 15% Hispanic vs. 80%/12%/11%, p<0.0001), greater number of households per zip code (11,540 vs. 8050, p<0.0001) and a higher regional mean income ($52,112 vs. $46,262, p<0.0001) and higher home value ($234,000 vs. $170,000, p<0.0001). More PSC hospitals were located in regions with preferential EMS routing of stroke (52% vs. 40%). While controlling for hospital-based factors, the demographic and regional factors independently associated with hospital PSC designation were number of households per zip code (per 1000 households OR 1.1, 95%CI 1.0-1.2), increasing Hispanic population (every 10% increase OR 1.1, 1.0-1.2), and income per household (per $10,000 OR 1.2, 1.1-1.3). Conclusions: Hospitals achieving PSC designation are located in more affluent and densely populated areas with higher population of Hispanic residents.


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