Analysis of nearly 281,000 patients from more than 1,000 hospitals who had colorectal surgery in 2008 showed patients in high volume hospitals were significantly more likely than patients at low-volume hospitals to be discharged home instead of to a skilled facility. For patients with further post-discharge needs, high-volume hospitals were more likely to discharge them to home health care settings than skilled facilities.
The study confirms high-volume hospitals are associated with better surgical outcomes. Researchers concluded more studies are needed to determine the mechanisms through which high-volume hospitals are able to facilitate more desirable outcomes.
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