Volume matters for postop hip fracture recovery

Editor's Note

Postoperative hip fracture patients are more likely to be successfully discharged home if they are rehabilitated in centers that care for at least 25 hip fracture patients per year, this study finds.

Successful discharge was 43.7% for high-volume facilities (> 24 admissions/year) vs 18.8% for low-volume facilities (1-6 admissions/year). 

The overall rate of successful discharge to the community was 31%. Of the 15,439 facilities, the facility interquartile range varied from 0% (25th percentile) to 42% (75th percentile). An important determinant of variation in discharge rate was SNF volume of hip fracture admissions.