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Objective: To define the association between hospital occupancy rate and postoperative outcomes among patients undergoing hepatopancreatic (HP) resection. Summary Background Data: Previous studies have sought to identify hospital-level characteristics associated with optimal surgical outcomes and decreased expenditures. The present study utilized a novel hospital quality metric coined "occupancy rate" based on publicly available data to assess differences in postoperative outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries undergoing HP procedures. Methods: Medicare beneficiaries who underwent an elective HP surgery between 2013 and 2017 were identified. Occupancy rate was calculated and hospitals were categorized into quartiles. Multivariable logistic regression was utilized to assess the association between occupancy rate and clinical outcomes. Results: Among 33,866 patients, the majority underwent a pancreatic resection (58.5%; n = 19,827), were male (88.4%; n = 7,488), or white (88.4%; n = 29,950); median age was 72 years [interquartile range (IQR): 68–77] and median Charleston Comorbidity Index was 3 (IQR 2–8). Hospitals were categorized into quartiles based on hospital occupancy rate (cutoffs: 48.1%, 59.4%, 68.2%). Most patients underwent an HP operation at a hospital with an above average occupancy rate (n = 20,865, 61.6%), whereas only a small subset of patients had an HP procedure at a low occupancy rate hospital (n = 1,218, 3.6%). On multivariable analysis, low hospital occupancy rate was associated with increased odds of a complication [(OR) 1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.18–1.55) and 30-day mortality (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.27–1.97). Even among only high-volume HP hospitals, patients operated on at hospitals that had a low occupancy rate were at markedly higher risk of complications (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.03–1.97), as well as 30 day morality (OR 2.20, 95% CI 1.27–3.83). Conclusions: Among Medicare beneficiaries undergoing an elective HP resection, more than 1 in 4 hospitals performing HP surgeries utilized less than half of their beds on average. There was a monotonic relationship between hospital occupancy rate and the odds ofexperiencing a complication, as well as 30-day mortality, independent of other hospital level characteristics including procedural volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There has been increased interest in understanding how social determinants of health (SDH) may affect care both in the medical and surgical setting. We sought to define the impact of various aspects of social vulnerability on the ability of patients to achieve a "textbook outcome" (TO) following hepatopancreatic surgery. Methods: Medicare beneficiaries who underwent hepatopancreatic resection between 2013 and 2017 were identified using the Medicare database. Social vulnerability was defined using the Centers for Disease Control Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), which is comprised of four subthemes: socioeconomic (SE), household composition and disability (HCD), minority status and language (MSL), and housing type and transportation (HTT). TO was defined as the composite endpoint: absence of 90-day mortality or readmission, absence of an extended length of stay (LOS), and no complications during the index admission. Cluster analysis was used to identify vulnerability cohorts, and multivariable logistic regression was utilized to assess the impact of these SVI subthemes on the likelihood to achieve a textbook outcome. Results: Among 37,707 Medicare beneficiaries, 64.9% (n = 24,462) of patients underwent pancreatic resection while 35.1% (n = 13,245) underwent hepatic resection. Median patient age was 72 years (IQR: 68–77), just over one-half were male (51.9%; n = 19,558), and the median CCI was 3 (IQR: 2–8). Cluster analysis revealed five distinct SVI profiles with wide variability in the distribution of SVI subthemes, ranging from 15 (profile 1 IQR: 7–26) to 83 (profile 5 IQR: 66–93). The five profiles were grouped into 3 categories based on median composite SVI: "low vulnerability" (profile 1), "average vulnerability" (profiles 2 and 3), or "high vulnerability" (profiles 4 and 5). The rate of TO ranged from 44.6% in profile 5 (n = 4022) to 49.2% in profile 1 (n = 4836). Multivariable analyses comparing patients categorized into the two average SVI profiles revealed that despite having similar composite SVI scores, the risk of adverse postoperative outcomes was not similar. Specifically, patients from profile 5 had lower odds of achieving a TO (OR 0.89, 95%CI: 0.83–0.95) and higher odds of 90-day mortality (OR 1.29, 95%CI: 1.15–1.44) versus patients in profile 4. Conclusion: Distinct profiles of SVI subtheme characteristics were independently associated with postoperative outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries undergoing HP surgery, even among patients with similar overall composite SVI scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of the current study was to characterize the role of patient social vulnerability relative to hospital racial/ethnic integration on postoperative outcomes among patients undergoing pancreatectomy. Background: The interplay between patient- and community-level factors on outcomes after complex surgery has not been well-examined. Methods: Medicare beneficiaries who underwent a pancreatectomy between 2013 and 2017 were identified utilizing 100% Medicare inpatient files. P-SVI was determined using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, whereas H-REI was estimated using Shannon Diversity Index. Impact of PSVI and H-REI on ‘‘TO’’ [ie, no surgical complication/extended length-ofstay (LOS)/90-day mortality/90-day readmission] was assessed. Results: Among 24,500 beneficiaries who underwent pancreatectomy, 12,890 (52.6%) were male and median age was 72 years (Interquartile range: 68–77); 10,619 (43.3%) patients achieved a TO. The most common adverse postoperative outcome was 90-day readmission (n = 8,066, 32.9%), whereas the least common was 90-day mortality (n = 2282, 9.3%). Complications and extended LOS occurred in 30.4% (n = 7450) and 23.3% (n = 5699) of the cohort, respectively. Patients from an above average SVI county who underwent surgery at a below average REI hospital had 18% lower odds [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.74–0.95] of achieving a TO compared with patients from a below average SVI county who underwent surgery at a hospital with above average REI. Of note, patients from the highest SVI areas who underwent pancreatectomy at hospitals with the lowest REI had 30% lower odds (95% CI: 0.54–0.91) of achieving a TO compared with patients from very low SVI areas who underwent surgery at a hospital with high REI. Further comparisons of these 2 patient groups indicated 76% increased odds of 90-day mortality (95% CI: 1.10–2.82) and 50% increased odds of an extended LOS (95% CI: 1.07–2.11). Conclusion: Patients with high social vulnerability who underwent pancreatectomy in hospitals located in communities with low racial/ethnic integration had the lowest chance to achieve an ‘‘optimal’’ TO. A focus on both patient and community-level factors is needed to ensure optimal and equitable patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]