Record Details

Hospitals with Higher Direct Cost Ratios Have Lower Readmission Rates

The Journal of Health Care Finance

View Archive Info
 
 
Field Value
 
Title Hospitals with Higher Direct Cost Ratios Have Lower Readmission Rates
 
Creator Bai, PhD, CPA, Ge; The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
Xu, MPP, Tim; The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Rogers, BS, Andrew T.; The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Anderson, PhD, Gerard F.; The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
 
Description Utilizing limited resources to generate the best quality of care for patients is one of the most pressing challenges faced by hospital executives. In this study, we examine how a hospital’s direct cost ratio, defined as the cost directly related to patient care divided by the total cost of patient care, is associated with an important quality metric, the Medicare 30-day unplanned readmission rate. Using the 2014 Medicare Cost Report, Hospital Compare, and Final Rule Data from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), we find that one standard deviation increase in the direct cost ratio is associated with fifteen fewer readmissions per 10,000 discharges, holding total patient care cost per adjusted discharge constant. Supplementary analyses show that the direct (indirect) cost per adjusted discharge is negatively (positively) associated with readmission rates. Our study recognizes the implication of cost structure on one important measure of hospital quality of care. The results provide hospital executives with useful guidance for making budgetary decisions.  
 
Publisher Worldwebtalk.com, Inc.
 
Contributor
 
Date 2017-04-20
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Peer-reviewed Article
 
Format application/pdf
 
Identifier http://healthfinancejournal.com/index.php/johcf/article/view/117
 
Source Journal of Health Care Finance; Vol 43, No 3, Winter 2017
 
Language eng
 
Relation http://healthfinancejournal.com/index.php/johcf/article/view/117/121
 
Rights Copyright (c) 2017 Journal of Health Care Finance