Associations between provider and hospital volumes and postoperative mortality following total hip arthroplasty in New Brunswick: results from a provincial-level cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Several international studies have reported negative associations between hospital and/or provider volume and risk of postoperative death following total hip arthroplasty (THA). The only Canadian studies to report on this have been based in Ontario and have found no such association. We describe associations between postoperative deaths following THA and provider caseload volume, also adjusted for hospital volume, in a population-based cohort in New Brunswick.

METHODS: Our analyses are based on hospital discharge abstract data linked to vital statistics and to patient registry data. We considered all first known admissions for THA in New Brunswick between Jan. 1, 2007, and Dec. 31, 2013. Provider volume was defined as total THAs performed over the preceding 2 years. We fit logistic regression models to identify odds of dying within 30 and 90 days according to provider caseload volume adjusted for selected personal and contextual characteristics.

RESULTS: About 7095 patients were admitted for THA in New Brunswick over the 7-year study period and 170 died within 30 days. We found no associations with provider volume and postoperative mortality in any of our models. Adjustment for contextual characteristics or hospital volume had no effects on this association.

CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that patients admitted for hip replacements in New Brunswick can expect to have similar risk of death regardless of whether they are admitted to see a provider with high or low THA volumes and of whether they are admitted to the province's larger or smaller hospitals.