Association of Expanded Medicaid Coverage With Hospital Length of Stay After Injury.

IMPORTANCE: The expansion of Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act is a state-level decision that affects how patients with traumatic injury (trauma patients) interact with locoregional health care systems. Washington, DC; Maryland; and Virginia represent 3 unique payer systems with liberal, moderate, and no Medicaid expansion, respectively, under the Affordable Care Act. Characterizing the association of Medicaid expansion with hospitalization after injury is vital in the disposition planning for these patients. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between expanded Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act and duration of hospitalization after injury. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective cohort study included patients admitted from Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC, to a single level I trauma center. Data were collected from January 1, 2013, through March 6, 2016, in Virginia and Washington, DC, and from May 1, 2013, through March 6, 2016, in Maryland. All patients with Medicare or Medicaid coverage and all uninsured patients were included. Patients with private insurance, patients with severe head or pelvic injuries, and those who died during hospitalization were excluded. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Hospital length of stay (LOS) and whether its association with patient insurance status varied by state of residence. RESULTS: A total of 2314 patients (1541 men [66.6%] and 773 women [33.4%]; mean [SD] age, 52.9 [22.8] years) were enrolled in the study. The uninsured rate in the Washington, DC, cohort (190 of 1699 [11.2%]) was significantly lower compared with rates in the Virginia (141 of 296 [47.6%]) or the Maryland (106 of 319 [33.2%]) cohort (P < .001). On multivariate regression controlling for injury severity and demographic variables, the difference in LOS for Medicaid vs non-Medicaid recipients varied significantly by state. For Medicaid recipients, mean LOS in Washington, DC, was significantly shorter (2.57 days; 95% CI, 2.36-2.79 days) than in Maryland (3.51 days; 95% CI, 2.81-4.38 days; P = .02) or Virginia (3.9 days; 95% CI, 2.79-5.45 days; P = .05). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Expanded Medicaid eligibility is associated with shorter hospital LOS in mildly injured Medicaid recipients.

Trauma team size and task performance in adult trauma resuscitations.

BACKGROUND: The initial evaluation of a trauma patient involves multiple personnel from various disciplines. Whereas this approach can expedite care, an increasing number of personnel can also create chaos and hinder efficiency. We sought to determine the optimal number of persons associated with an expedient primary survey. METHODS: Audio and/or video recordings of all consecutive adult trauma evaluations at a level 1 trauma center were reviewed for a 1-month period. A 20-task checklist was developed based on Advanced Trauma Life Support principles. The number of practitioners present (TeamN) and tasks completed at 2 and 5 min (Task2, Task5) were recorded. The association between TeamN, demographics, presence of attending surgeon, and team leader engagement and Task2/Task5 was measured the using chi square test and Spearman correlation. A multivariate regression model was developed. RESULTS: A total of 170 cases were reviewed, 44 of which were top-tier activations. Average TeamN was 6 ± 2 persons. Task2 and Task5 were significantly positively correlated with TeamN (r = 0.34, P < 0.0001; r = 0.22, P = 0.004, respectively) and leader engagement (r = 0.27, P < 0.01; r = 0.16, P < 0.05, respectively). There was a significant positive correlation between TeamN and Task2 and Task5. Only TeamN had a significant, independent association with Task2 and Task5 (P = 0.005). We did not find a size that was negatively associated with task completion. Only assessment of breath sounds was negatively associated with increasing team size. CONCLUSIONS: TeamN is significantly associated with efficiency of trauma evaluation. Studies evaluating reasons for this and the effect of maximal team size are needed to determine optimal trauma team staffing.