Media Contact: Barry D. Buckingham, Executive Director, PHC4, [email protected]
NEW PHC4 REPORT SHOWS HOSPITAL-SPECIFIC RESULTS FOR COMMON PROCEDURES
Harrisburg, PA – October 26, 2022 – The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) released a new report today about the performance of Pennsylvania hospitals for three common procedures. Reported are hospital ratings for outcomes such as complications and extended postoperative length of stay. Also included are volume of cases and hospital charges. Statewide trends and statistics are also examined.
Based on adult patients discharged from Pennsylvaniaâs general acute care hospitals from October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021, this report includes results for the following common procedures: spinal fusion, total hip replacement and total knee replacement. Cases with a diagnosis of COVID-19 were not included in the report.
âSimilar to PHC4âs Hospital Performance Report, which evaluates hospital results for common medical conditions, the Common Procedures Report examines the performance of hospitals in doing common surgical procedures. This report can be useful for consumers in helping them make more informed decisions about health care,â said Barry Buckingham, PHC4âs Executive Director. âThe report also highlights opportunities for quality improvement,â added Buckingham.
In this report, 13,296 hospitalizations were examined for patients who underwent spinal fusion surgery from October 2020 through September 2021. On average, patients stayed in the hospital 3.2 days following the spinal fusion procedure, and 2.4% experienced an extended postoperative length of stay, meaning they stayed in the hospital longer than expected. The average postoperative stay for these patients was 12.0 days. 1.9% of patients had an in-hospital complication and 2.0% were readmitted for a complication within 7, 30, or 90 days, depending on the type of complication.
There were 12,365 hospitalizations examined for patients who underwent a total hip replacement from October 2020 through September 2021. On average, patients stayed in the hospital 1.6 days following a total hip replacement. Of these patients, 3.8% experienced an extended postoperative length of stay. The average postoperative stay for these patients was 5.8 days. 2.0% of patients had either an in-hospital complication or a complication that developed after discharge and resulted in a readmission within 7, 30, or 90 days depending on the type of complication.
There were 17,986 hospitalizations examined for patients who underwent a total knee replacement from October 2020 through September 2021. These patients stayed in the hospital 1.7 days following a total knee replacement, and 3.1% experienced an extended postoperative length of stay. The average postoperative stay for these patients was 6.2 days. 1.5% of patients had either an in-hospital complication or a complication that developed after discharge and resulted in a readmission within 7, 30, or 90 days depending on the type of complication.
In looking at trends in volume of inpatient cases, there was a decline in all three of these procedures over the recent eight quarters of data, from Quarter 4, 2019 to Quarter 3, 2021:
- Spinal fusion surgeries decreased 12.5%.
- Total hip replacement surgeries decreased 53.3%.
- Total knee replacement surgeries decreased 53.1%.
The decreases in total hip replacement and total knee replacement surgeries over this period reflect a shift in the location where these procedures are performed, from the inpatient to outpatient setting.
This report is available on PHC4’s website at www.phc4.org. You can also link to it through social media on Facebook and Twitter.
PHC4 is an independent state agency charged with collecting, analyzing and reporting information that can be used to improve the quality and restrain the cost of health care in Pennsylvania.
