Health Services Research Commons^™

Factors Associated With Hospital Readmissions Among United States Dialysis Facilities, Amber B. Paulus

Theses and Dissertations

Hospital readmissions are a major burden for patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). On average, one in three hospital discharges among patients with ESRD are followed by a readmission within 30 days. Currently, dialysis facilities are held accountable for readmissions via the ESRD Quality Incentive Program standardized readmission ratio (SRR) clinical measure. However, little is known about facility-level factors associated with readmission. Additionally, unlike other standardized measures of quality in the dialysis setting, incident patients within their first 90-days of dialysis are included in the performance calculation. This study analyzed CMS Dialysis Facility Report data from 2013 to 2016 …

Economic Burden Of Renal Cell Carcinoma (Rcc) And Treatment Patterns, Overall Survival And Healthcare Costs Among Older Metastatic Rcc Patients, Hrishikesh P. Kale

Theses and Dissertations

Background

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer. Patients diagnosed with metastatic RCC (mRCC) have shorter overall survival compared to those diagnosed at earlier stages. Several targeted therapies, which cost from $7,000 - $16,000 per month have been approved since 2005 to treat mRCC. In addition, there is a growing interest in the use of cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) with targeted therapies among mRCC patients. However, little is known regarding the economic burden of RCC and role of CN and prescribing patterns of targeted therapies among older mRCC patients.

Objectives

1) To assess the economic burden …

Provision Of Hospital-Based Palliative Care And The Impact On Organizational And Patient Outcomes, Marisa L. Roczen

Theses and Dissertations

Hospital-based palliative care services aim to streamline medical care for patients with chronic and potentially life-limiting illnesses by focusing on individual patient needs, efficient use of hospital resources, and providing guidance for patients, patients’ families and clinical providers toward making optimal decisions concerning a patient’s care. This study examined the nature of palliative care provision in U.S. hospitals and its impact on selected organizational and patient outcomes, including hospital costs, length of stay, in-hospital mortality, and transfer to hospice. Hospital costs and length of stay are viewed as important economic indicators. Specifically, lower hospital costs may increase a hospital’s profit …