Can hospital structural and financial characteristics explain variations in mortality caused by acute myocardial infarction?

Each year 1 in 160 people in the United States suffers from acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Of these more than 1.5 million cases annually, 500,000 end in fatalities. This study's purpose was to describe and evaluate the role hospital characteristics play in rates of mortality caused by AMI in acute-care California hospitals. Characteristics evaluated include structural characteristcs—i.e., teaching status, percentage of board-certified physicians, registered nurse hours per patient day (RN hours/patient day), volume of cases, technological resource availability, and urban density; and financial characteristics—profit status and total operating expenses per patient day. Although part of a larger investigation correlating mortality and length of stay, this article reports only the results for significant influences on mortality.