Impact of American College of Surgeons verification on XXXX outcomes.

@entity1 @entity1913 @entity130
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the impact of @entity130 @entity1 outcomes before and after Level II American College of Surgeons (ACS) verification was received in a not-for-profit community hospital. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of hospital discharge data for timeframes before and after Level II ACS verification was conducted. Originally, 8,674 @entity1 were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision codes for @entity130 . These data were parsed to 7,811 @entity1 by using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision codes 800 xx through 959.9 x, which signify an admitting diagnosis of @entity130 ; 3,835 of the @entity1 were admitted after the July 28, 1998, verification date. @entity1913 constituted the vast majority of the @entity1 (n = 7,488). Outcome measures studied included changes in length of stay (LOS), mortality, and total cost. Internal control was coronary artery bypass graft @entity1 at the same hospital, and external control was @entity130 @entity1 at a non-ACS hospital over the same time period. Data are presented with p values and SE and the ratio of observed/expected values on the basis of the all-payer severity-adjusted diagnosis-related group severity model. RESULTS: The two timeframes exhibited statistically different outcomes in several variables. Adjusting for severity postverification, LOS was 10% less (p < 0.000). Similarly, severity-adjusted mortality observed/expected ratios were significantly different: 0.81 before versus 0.59 after (p < 0.000). The severity-adjusted ratio of costs found that the postverification era was 5% lower (p < 0.000). The contribution margin of the @entity130 @entity1 population to the hospital well exceeded any postverification costs. Both control groups exhibited no significant changes in their severity-adjusted outcomes, which could have invalidated these results. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the efforts and resources consumed achieving ACS Level II @entity130 center verification appear to result in desired outcomes as evidenced by decreased LOS, reduced in-hospital mortality rates, reduced cost, and improved contribution margins.
