Transfer rates and use of post-acute care after surgery at critical access vs non-critical access hospitals

Abstract

Importance: There is growing interest in the use of health care resources by critical access hospitals (CAHs), key providers of medical care for many rural populations.

Objective: To evaluate discharge practice patterns and use of post-acute care after surgical admissions at CAHs.

Design, setting, and participants: We used data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2005-2009) and American Hospital Association to perform a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing common inpatient surgical procedures at CAHs or non-CAHs.

Exposures: The CAH status of the admitting hospital.

Main outcomes and measures: Hospital transfer, discharge with post-acute care, or routine discharge.

Results: Among the 1283 CAHs and 3612 non-CAHs included in the American Hospital Association annual survey, 34.8% and 36.4%, respectively, reported data to the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. For each of 6 common inpatient surgical procedures, a greater proportion of patients from CAHs were transferred to another hospital (P < .01); however, patients discharged from CAHs were less likely to receive post-acute care for all but 1 of the procedures examined (P < .01, except transurethral resection of prostate, P = .76). After adjustment for patient and hospital factors, the higher likelihood of transfer by CAHs vs non-CAHs persisted for 3 procedures: hip replacement (odds ratio, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.01-3.57), colorectal cancer resection (3.37; 2.23-5.09), and cholecystectomy (1.67; 1.27-2.19) (P < .05 for each), but differences in the use of post-acute care did not. In subset analyses, Medicare beneficiaries treated in CAHs were less likely to be discharged with post-acute care after hip fracture repair (odds ratio, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.47-0.89) and hip replacement (0.70; 95% CI, 0.51-0.96).

Conclusions and relevance: Hospital transfers occur more often after surgical admissions at CAHs. However, the proportion of patients at CAHs using post-acute care is equal to or lower than that of patients treated in non-CAHs. These results will affect the ongoing debate concerning CAH payment policy and its implications for health care delivery in rural communities.