Association of Tele-Critical Care Capability With Interhospital Transfers and Potentially Low-Value Transfers Among Critically Ill Medicare Beneficiaries
Authors' conclusion
TCC capability was associated with modestly increased transfer rates, fewer potentially low-value transfers, and improved post-transfer outcomes, suggesting improved transfer selection.
Study context
- Population
- Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries with ICU hospitalizations between 2022 and 2023 at U.S. acute care hospitalsICU hospitalizations, 33.4% occurred at 1,066 tele-critical care (TCC)-capable hospitals
- Participants
- 2,140,919 beneficiaries
- Exposure
- TCC capability at index ICU hospitalizations, interhospital transfer, and post-transfer outcomes
- Outcome
- Interhospital ICU transfer
Methodological details2021-2023 Medicare claims linked to the American Hospital Association Annual Survey Database (AHAASD), hierarchical logistic regression with transferring hospitals as random intercepts
- 2021-2023 Medicare claims linked to the American Hospital Association Annual Survey Database (AHAASD)
- Hierarchical logistic regression with transferring hospitals as random intercepts
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Adjusted odds ratio
1.08
95% CI 1.01–1.14
By group
TCC hospitals vs Hospitals without TCC capability
aOR 1.08 (95% CI 1.01–1.14)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | TCC hospitals | Hospitals without TCC capability | Estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Death or hospice discharge within 1 day of transfer (exploratory post-transfer analysis, transferred patients)Exploratory | 4.6% | 6.6% | aOR 0.86 (95% CI 0.76–0.97) | |
| Discharged home within 2 days (exploratory post-transfer analysis, transferred patients)Exploratory | 4.7% | 3.7% | aOR for discharge home 1.17 (95% CI 1.03–1.33) | |
| 0.512Ratio (log scale) |
Death or hospice discharge within 1 day of transfer (exploratory post-transfer analysis, transferred patients)
- Transferred patients from TCC hospitals had greater illness severity
Original publication
Association of Tele-Critical Care Capability With Interhospital Transfers and Potentially Low-Value Transfers Among Critically Ill Medicare Beneficiaries. Crit Care Med. Published 15 October 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →