Why the study?
Does selecting a high-volume hospital reduce operative death in Medicare patients undergoing selected cardiovascular or cancer procedures?
Does selecting a high-volume hospital reduce operative death in Medicare patients undergoing selected cardiovascular or cancer procedures?
Selecting a high-volume hospital significantly reduces the risk of operative death for Medicare patients undergoing cardiovascular or cancer procedures.
Should not yet alter referrals; leaves open causal impact and policy effects in modern care.
In the absence of other information about the quality of surgery at the hospitals near them, Medicare patients undergoing selected cardiovascular or cancer procedures can significantly reduce their risk of operative death by selecting a high-volume hospital.
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Birkmeyer et al. (2002) studied this question.
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