Poster presented at Annual MeetingBackground: In light of wide variations between
hospitals in their quality of critical care, some
have proposed moving patients to better
quality. A system of critical care transfers
already exists, but it is little studied.
Methods: All 1993 Medicare claims were
examined for the 576 acute care hospitals in
the Mid-Atlantic region.
Results: Critical care transfers are common.
There is a single continuous transfer network
linking hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic region.
There are signs that congestion may be a
problem in this network.
Conclusion: The existing transfer network may
be a useful policy tool to improve the
outcomes of critically ill patients, but more
study is needed.NIH grant HL07891-09http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/61403/1/SCCM_poster_comp.pd
