Systematic review of discharge coding accuracy.

INTRODUCTION: Routinely collected data sets are increasingly used for research, financial reimbursement and health service planning. High quality data are necessary for reliable analysis. This study aims to assess the published accuracy of routinely collected data sets in Great Britain. METHODS: Systematic searches of the EMBASE, PUBMED, OVID and Cochrane databases were performed from 1989 to present using defined search terms. Included studies were those that compared routinely collected data sets with case or operative note review and those that compared routinely collected data with clinical registries. RESULTS: Thirty-two studies were included. Twenty-five studies compared routinely collected data with case or operation notes. Seven studies compared routinely collected data with clinical registries. The overall median accuracy (routinely collected data sets versus case notes) was 83.2% (IQR: 67.3-92.1%). The median diagnostic accuracy was 80.3% (IQR: 63.3-94.1%) with a median procedure accuracy of 84.2% (IQR: 68.7-88.7%). There was considerable variation in accuracy rates between studies (50.5-97.8%). Since the 2002 introduction of Payment by Results, accuracy has improved in some respects, for example primary diagnoses accuracy has improved from 73.8% (IQR: 59.3-92.1%) to 96.0% (IQR: 89.3-96.3), P= 0.020. CONCLUSION: Accuracy rates are improving. Current levels of reported accuracy suggest that routinely collected data are sufficiently robust to support their use for research and managerial decision-making.

Stability of Legionella urinary antigens over time.

Twenty-two urine samples positive for Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 antigen by EQUATE radioimmunoassay (RIA) (Binax, Portland, ME, USA) were stored at various temperatures and the RIA repeated at 1, 7, 30, 90, and 120 days to evaluate stability of the urinary antigens. The mean ratios of patient/negative control remained stable. Although there was a 10% decrease in the mean ratios after 1 month, changes were not significant. However, individual samples with ratios close to 3 may fall to < 3.

The Yale Cost Model and cost centres: servant or master?

Cost accounting describes that aspect of accounting which collects, allocates and controls the cost of producing a service. Costing information is primarily reported to management to enable control of costs and to ensure the financial viability of units, departments and divisions. As costing studies continue to produce estimates of Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) costs in New South Wales hospitals, as well as in other states, costs for different hospitals are being externally compared, using a tool which is usually related to internal management and reporting. Comparability of costs is assumed even though accounting systems differ. This paper examines the cost centre structures at five major teaching hospitals in Sydney. It describes the similarities and differences in how the cost centres were constituted, and then details the line items of expenditure that are charged to each cost centre. The results of a comparative study of a medical specialty are included as evidence of different costing methodologies in the hospitals. The picture that emerged from the study is that the hospitals are constituting their cost centres to meet their internal management needs, that is, to know the cost of running a ward or nursing unit, a medical specialty, department and so on. The rationale for the particular cost centre construction was that cost centre managers could manage and control costs and assign responsibility. There are variations in procedures for assigning costs to cost centres, and the question is asked 'Do these variations in procedures make a material difference to our ability to compare costs per Diagnosis Related Group at the various hospitals?' It is contended that the accounting information, which is produced as a result of different practices, is primarily for internal management, not external comparison. It would be better for hospitals to compare their estimated costs per Diagnosis Related Group to an internal standard cost rather than the costs from other hospitals. This is because there are differences in cost centre construction and standardisation of cost centre definitions will not meet the information needs of internal management. Also capabilities and capacities of accounting systems vary greatly and uniformity will take a long time to achieve, if ever.

Estimates of costs by DRG in Sydney teaching hospitals: an application of the Yale cost model.

The results are reported of a first round of costing by DRG in seven major teaching hospital sites in Sydney using the Yale cost model. These results, when compared between the hospitals and with values of relative costs by DRG from the United States, indicate that the cost modelling procedure has produced credible and potentially useful estimates of casemix costs. The rationale and underlying theory of cost modelling is explained, and the need for further work to improve the method of allocating costs to DRGs, and to improve the cost centre definitions currently used by the hospitals, is emphasised.

Impact of PIT tagging on recapture rates, body condition and reproductive success of wild Daubenton's bats (Myotis daubentonii).

A successful and safe methodology for the subcutaneous insertion of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in a small- to medium-sized bat (average mass 9 g) under isoflurane-induced anaesthesia is described. Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tagging had no significant impact on the rate of recapture, body condition index (BCI) (bodyweight/forearm length) and reproductive success of tagged individuals, and no visible injuries or health problems were observed in any of the recaptured bats. Tagging success, in terms of retention and function, was 92 per cent (n=61) by the third year of using the method. Sixteen per cent (n=39) of bats tagged during the three-year study period were not producing positive scans with the microchip reader when recaptured after previously successful tag insertion, indicating that the tags were either working their way out of the bats or ceasing to function.

The detection of a population of submillimeter-bright, strongly lensed galaxies.

Gravitational lensing is a powerful astrophysical and cosmological probe and is particularly valuable at submillimeter wavelengths for the study of the statistical and individual properties of dusty star-forming galaxies. However, the identification of gravitational lenses is often time-intensive, involving the sifting of large volumes of imaging or spectroscopic data to find few candidates. We used early data from the Herschel Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey to demonstrate that wide-area submillimeter surveys can simply and easily detect strong gravitational lensing events, with close to 100% efficiency.

Psychosocial variables that affect the psychological adjustment of IVDU patients with AIDS.

The influences of coping strategies and of perceived social support from family and friends on the psychological adjustment of intravenous drug users (IVDUs) with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) were investigated. Twenty-seven male AIDS patients with a history of intravenous drug use completed a demographic questionnaire, Trails-B, the Ways of Coping Questionnaire, Perceived Social Support from Family, Perceived Social Support from Friends, and the Mental Health Inventory. Unexpected results were obtained: The only coping strategy to correlate significantly with psychological adjustment was "Seeking Social Support," and perceived social support from family correlated positively with psychological adjustment, but perceived social support from friends did not. Interpretations and implications of these findings are presented.

Anatomic substrate for congenital atrioventricular block in middle-aged adults.

Congenital atrioventricular block is usually a benign disorder not necessitating pacing. In some patients slowing of rate and/or mortality have been noted with aging. However an anatomic substrate has not been established for the progressive slowing of the escape rate. In this study we report an anatomic substrate in two such patients who were dying in congestive heart failure, ages 49 and 42, respectively. Multiple pre-mortem ECG's in both cases revealed wide QRS escape rhythms, and escape rates of approximately 35 and 28 beats/minute, respectively. Conduction system examination by serial section in both cases revealed lack of connection between the atrial septum with the peripheral conduction system with total replacement by fat of the AV nodal approaches and AV node, and advanced sclerosis of the summit of the ventricular septum which was more marked on the right side. In addition, the His bundle showed marked septation in case one and fragmentation in case two. Sclerosis of the summit of the ventricular septum involved the branching bundle and the bundle branches in both cases. In conclusion, both patients had the characteristic lesions of congenital atrioventricular block, namely replacement of the AV node and AV nodal approaches by fat, with lack of connection to the peripheral conduction system, and one also had a fragmented His bundle. In addition premature aging of the summit of the ventricular septum may have reflected the long-standing hemodynamic stresses of chronic bradycardia. This in turn resulted in trifascicular involvement of the conduction system leading to a shifting of the escape rhythm distally eventuating in a slower idioventricular escape rhythm.