The effect of cuts in medicare reimbursement on hospital mortality.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To determine if patients treated at hospitals under different levels of financial strain from the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 had differential changes in 30-day mortality, and whether vulnerable patient populations such as the uninsured were disproportionately affected.

Data source

Hospital discharge data from all general acute care hospitals in Pennsylvania from 1997 to 2001.

Study design

A multivariate regression analysis was performed retrospectively on 30-day mortality rates, using hospital discharge data, hospital financial data, and death certificate information from Pennsylvania.

Data collection

We used 370,017 hospital episodes with one of four conditions identified by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality as inpatient quality i

SUBMITTER: Seshamani M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1713202 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature