Becker's ASC Review

22 Transactions & Joint Ventures 900 Airport Road, Ste. 3B, West Chester, PA 19380 T: 484.887.8810 F: 800.493.0966 cs@centinelspine.com www.centinelspine.com LBL147/1 rev 1 HERITAGE IN INNOVATION A L L O G R A F T • A U T O G R A F T S I N G L E L E V E L • M U L T I L E V E L • • A L L O G R A F T • A U T O G R A F T S I N G L E L E V E L • M U L T I L E V E L • • * Multilevel indicates for 1-2 contiguous levels. Multilevel* indication for plateless, independent motion segment fixation. Now on-label for use with allogenic bone graft. Optimized titanium surface topography. ALLOGENIC CLEARANCE ALLOGENIC CLEARANCE ALLOGENIC CLEARANCE ALLOGENIC CLEARANCE Learn More At: CENTINELSPINE.COM VISIT US AT NASS BOOTH 1363 STALIF C® STALIF C-Ti™ Anterior Cervical Systems MIDLINE II ™ MIDLINE II -Ti™ Anterior Lumbar Systems Advance to The Gold Standard in Integrated Interbody™ Technologies. Commit to STALIF® for all your anterior fusion procedures. CENT_Beckers_Ad_10-15_v3b.indd 1 9/8/15 10:20 AM P hysician-owned hospital industry opponents overstated previous research to their advan- tage, according to a new BMJ study which also found no evidence that POHs avoid poorer pa- tients or patients from minority groups. ere are 219 physician-owned hospitals in the United States, oen small and for-profit entities. ere were 120 POHs that were general hospitals, and many are located in urban areas. e study compared POHs and non-POHs around patient populations, quality of care, cost and payments. Here are eight key findings: 1. Patients at POHs were younger on average — 77.4 years old versus 78.4 years old. 2. e POH patients were less likely admitted through an emergency room. Around 23 percent of the POH patients were admitted through the ER, compared with 29 percent of non-POHs. 3. ere was an equal likeliness that the patients would be black — 5.1 percent for POHs and 5.5 percent for non-POHs. 4. e POHs reported 14.9 percent of patients used Medicaid, compared with 15.4 percent of non- POHs. e two groups also had similar numbers of chronic disease and predicted mortality scores. 5. Both POHs and non-POHs had similar patient experience scores, process of care, risk-adjusted 30-day mortality, 20-day readmission rates, costs and payments for acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure and pneumonia. e costs and payments were around $10,113 at POHs and $10,024 at non-POHs. CMS payments for acute myocardial infarction, congested heart failure and pneumonia were around $7,217 at POHs and $7,033 at non-POHs. 6. Specialty POHs had higher patient experience scores than general POHs — 81.6 percent versus 57.3 percent. Specialty POHs also outperformed general POHs on an indirect composite measure of process for acute myocardial infarction, con- gestive heart failure and pneumonia. 7. Specialty POHs had a higher risk-adjusted re- admission rate for acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure and pneumonia. 8. e study authors concluded POHs comprise just 6.3 percent of Medicare admissions in any given market. "It seems less likely that POHs are having a meaningful impact on the financial vi- ability of non-POHs," they concluded. "is study shows what we have been saying for years," said Blake Curd, MD, president of the Phy- sician Hospitals of America. "When the study is combined with the latest CMS data on quality and patient satisfaction, our industry epitomizes the goals of sound healthcare delivery. Congress should correct the current policy that is bad for patients who have limited access to some of the best hospitals in the country." e Affordable Care Act does not allow new POHs to accept Medicare and Medicaid patients and won't allow grandfathered POHs to expand if they want to continue serving Medicare and Medicaid patients. "is policy is not consistent with the American ideal I am familiar with," said Dr. Curd. "It was put in the bill so the big hospital lobby would sup- port the ACA." e study authors urged a re-examination of ex- isting public policies targeting physician-owned hospitals. n Physician-Owned Hospitals vs. Non-POHs: Patient Mix, Payments & Quality — 8 Key Notes By Laura Dyrda

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