The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence And Alcohol Use Among Students at Minnesota State University - Mankato

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of emotional intelligence, gender, fraternity/sorority membership, and residence on alcohol use among undergraduate students enrolled in spring semester, 2013 at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The relationship between emotional intelligence and alcohol use was studied. Moreover, the effect of gender, fraternity/sorority membership, and residence on alcohol use was determined. Participants were 390 students of Minnesota State University, Mankato. A quantitative cross-sectional online survey was conducted to collect data regarding students\u27 emotional intelligence status and alcohol use through Schutte Self Report Intentory (SSRI) for emotional intelligence (Schutte, Malouff, Hall, Haggerty, Cooper, Golden, & Dornheim, 1998), and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) for alcohol consumption (World Health Organization [WHO], 2012). An inverse relationship was found between emotional intelligence and alcohol use. Alcohol use was more common among male students. Results from the step-wise multiple regression analysis indicated that managing own emotions, being male, and living off-campus were predictors of alcohol use. Emotional intelligence didn\u27t vary between different genders, and fraternity/sorority membership had no effect on emotional intelligence or alcohol use

Reduction in Hospitals\u27 Readmission Rates: Role of Hospital-Based Skilled Nursing Facilities

Hospital readmission within 30 days of discharge is an important quality measure given that it represents a potentially preventable adverse outcome. Approximately, 20% of Medicare beneficiaries are readmitted within 30 days of discharge. Many strategies such as the hospital readmission reduction program have been proposed and implemented to reduce readmission rates. Prior research has shown that coordination of care could play a significant role in lowering readmissions. Although having a hospital-based skilled nursing facility (HBSNF) in a hospital could help in improving care for patients needing short-term skilled nursing or rehabilitation services, little is known about HBSNFs’ association with hospitals’ readmission rates. This study seeks to examine the association between HBSNFs and hospitals’ readmission rates. Data sources included 2007-2012 American Hospital Association Annual Survey, Area Health Resources Files, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare cost reports, and CMS Hospital Compare. The dependent variables were 30-day risk-adjusted readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), congestive heart failure, and pneumonia. The independent variable was the presence of HBSNF in a hospital (1 = yes, 0 = no). Control variables included organizational and market factors that could affect hospitals’ readmission rates. Data were analyzed using generalized estimating equation (GEE) models with state and year fixed effects and standard errors corrected for clustering of hospitals over time. Propensity score weights were used to control for potential selection bias of hospitals having a skilled nursing facility (SNF). GEE models showed that the presence of HBSNFs was associated with lower readmission rates for AMI and pneumonia. Moreover, higher SNFs to hospitals ratio in the county were associated with lower readmission rates. These findings can inform policy makers and hospital administrators in evaluating HBSNFs as a potential strategy to lower hospitals’ readmission rates

High Medicaid Nursing Homes: Organizational and Market Factors Associated With Financial Performance

High Medicaid nursing homes (85% and higher of Medicaid residents) operate in resource-constrained environments. High Medicaid nursing homes (on average) have lower quality and poorer financial performance. However, there is significant variation in performance among high Medicaid nursing homes. The purpose of this study is to examine the organizational and market factors that may be associated with better financial performance among high Medicaid nursing homes. Data sources included Long-Term Care Focus (LTCFocus), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Medicare Cost Reports, CMS Nursing Home Compare, and the Area Health Resource File (AHRF) for 2009-2015. There were approximately 1108 facilities with high Medicaid per year. The dependent variables are nursing homes operating and total margin. The independent variables included size, chain affiliation, occupancy rate, percent Medicare, market competition, and county socioeconomic status. Control variables included staffing variables, resident quality, for-profit status, acuity index, percent minorities in the facility, percent Medicaid residents, metropolitan area, and Medicare Advantage penetration. Data were analyzed using generalized estimating equations with state and year fixed effects. Results suggest that organizational and market slack resources are associated with performance differentials among high Medicaid nursing homes. Higher financial performing facilities are characterized as having nurse practitioners/physician assistants, more beds, higher occupancy rate, higher Medicare and Medicaid census, and being for-profit and located in less competitive markets. Higher levels of Registered Nurse (RN) skill mix result in lower financial performance in high Medicaid nursing homes. Policy and managerial implications of the study are discussed

Organizational Culture and High Medicaid Nursing Homes Financial Performance

Background and Objectives: This paper investigates the relationship between organizational culture and financial performance in under-resourced nursing homes (85% or higher Medicaid residents). Research Design and Methods: We tested whether the type of organizational culture (clan, adhocracy, market, and hierarchical) was associated with higher financial performance, measured by the operating margin. Survey data of 341 nursing home administrators were collected in 2017–2018 and merged with secondary datasets with facility and market characteristics. We used multiple regression analysis to test our hypotheses. Results: We found that a market culture was positively associated with higher operating margin. On the other hand, having a clan, hierarchical, or non-dominant culture was associated with lower financial performance, compared to a market culture. Discussion and Implications: Ensuring the financial viability of high-Medicaid nursing homes is important since they provide care to low-income residents and a high proportion of racial/ethnic minorities. Our findings suggest that having a market culture with an external orientation may be associated with better financial performance among these nursing homes

Opioid Use Is Associated with ICU Delirium in Mechanically Ventilated Children

Pediatric delirium is a significant problem when encounterd in an intensive care unit (ICU). The pathophysiology of pediatric delirium is complex and the etiology is typically multifactorial. Even though various risk factors associated with pediatric delirium in a pediatric ICU have been identified, there is still a paucity of literature associated with the condition, especially in extremely critically ill children, sedated and mechanically ventilated

Association of hospital and market characteristics with 30-day readmission rates from 2009 to 2015

Objectives: The US government implemented the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program on 1 October 2012 to reduce readmission rates through financial penalties to hospitals with excessive readmissions. We conducted a pooled cross-sectional analysis of US hospitals from 2009 to 2015 to determine the association of the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program with 30-day readmissions. Methods: We utilized multivariable linear regression with year and state fixed effects. The model was adjusted for hospital and market characteristics lagged by 1 year. Interaction effects of hospital and market characteristics with the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program indicator variable was also included to assess whether associations of Hospital Readmission Reduction Program with 30-day readmissions differed by these characteristics. Results: In multivariable adjusted analysis, the main effect of the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program was a 3.80 percentage point ( p  < 0.001) decrease in readmission rates in 2013–2015 relative to 2009–2012. Hospitals with lower readmission rates overall included not-for-profit and government hospitals, medium and large hospitals, those in markets with a larger percentage of Hispanic residents, and population 65 years and older. Higher hospital readmission rates were observed among those with higher licensed practical nurse staffing ratio, larger Medicare and Medicaid share, and less competition. Statistically significant interaction effects between hospital/market characteristics and the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program on the outcome of 30-day readmission rates were present. Teaching hospitals, rural hospitals, and hospitals in markets with a higher percentage of residents who were Black experienced larger decreases in readmission rates. Hospitals with larger registered nurse staffing ratios and in markets with higher uninsured rate and percentage of residents with a high school education or greater experienced smaller decreases in readmission rates. Conclusion: Findings of the current study support the effectiveness of the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program but also point to the need to consider the ability of hospitals to respond to penalties and incentives based on their characteristics during policy development

sj-docx-1-smo-10.1177_20503121231220815 – Supplemental material for Association of hospital and market characteristics with 30-day readmission rates from 2009 to 2015

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-smo-10.1177_20503121231220815 for Association of hospital and market characteristics with 30-day readmission rates from 2009 to 2015 by Gabriel S Tajeu, Ganisher Davlyatov, David Becker, Robert Weech-Maldonado and Abby Swanson Kazley in SAGE Open Medicine</p

The Role of Assisted Living Capacity on Nursing Home Financial Performance

The rapid growth of the assisted living industry has coincided with decreased levels of nursing home occupancy and financial performance. The purpose of this article is to examine the relationships among assisted living capacity, nursing home occupancy, and nursing home financial performance. In addition, we explore whether the relationship between assisted living capacity and nursing home financial performance is mediated by nursing home occupancy. This research utilized publicly available secondary data, for the state of Florida from 2003 through 2015. General descriptive statistics were used to assess the relationships among financial performance, assisted living capacity, and occupancy. To explore the relationships among financial performance, assisted living capacity and occupancy, and test potential mediation of occupancy, we followed Baron and Kenny’s approach and estimated 3 models examining the relationships between (1) assisted living capacity and nursing home financial performance, (2) assisted living capacity and nursing home occupancy, and (3) nursing home occupancy and financial performance after assisted living capacity is included in the model. We used generalized estimating equations, to adjust for repeated measures and to model the above relationships. Year fixed effects control for time trend. The independent variable, assisted living beds, was lagged for 1 year to account for the potential influence on financial performance. The final analytic sample consisted of 7688 nursing home-year observations from 657 unique nursing homes. Our findings suggest that assisted living capacity does have a negative impact on nursing homes’ financial performance. Even though, assisted living capacity seems not to significantly decrease nursing home occupancy. The relationship between assisted living capacity and financial performance was not mediated through occupancy. These findings suggest that assisted living communities may not be able to significantly reduce nursing home occupancy; however, the presence of assisted living communities may create additional financial/competitive pressures that result in decreased nursing home financial performance