JAMA
Disparities in the Utilization of High-Volume Hospitals for Complex Surgery
Jerome H. Liu, MD, MSHS; David S. Zingmond, MD, PhD; Marcia L. McGory, MD; Nelson F. SooHoo, MD; Susan L. Ettner, PhD; Robert H. Brook, MD, ScD; Clifford Y. Ko, MD, MS, MSHS
Context: Referral to high-volume hospitals has been recommended for operations with a demonstrated volume-outcome relationship. The characteristics of patients who receive care at low-volume hospitals may be different from those of patients who receive care at high-volume hospitals. These differences may limit their ability to access or receive care at a high-volume hospital.
Objective: To identify patient characteristics associated with the use of high-volume hospitals, using California's Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development patient discharge database.
Design, Setting, and Participants: Retrospective study of Californians receiving the following inpatient operations from 2000 through 2004: elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, coronary artery . . . [Full Text of this Article]