Obstetric hospital stays by diagnosis related groups: a community-based analysis

The study analyzed obstetric inpatient hospital stays by diagnosis related group in Sacramento, California, and Syracuse, New York, two areas with similar admission rates, between 1981 and 1984. The sample included 123,308 hospital discharges. The data indicated that aggregate obstetric stays in Syracuse were 32.9% longer than those in Sacramento, which was typical of differences between these stays in the western and northeastern United States. Obstetric stays in both areas declined between 1981 and 1984; however, the rate of decline in Sacramento (6.1%) was substantially higher than that of Syracuse (3.5%). Variability of obstetric stays was substantially lower in Syracuse for most diagnosis related groups, including those with the largest caseloads. These results suggest that community and regional differences in obstetric hospital stays may be produced by system-wide consumer preferences and physician practice patterns, more than by hospital bed availability, health maintenance organization activity, or other factors.