Table 1 Patient and hospital-level factors associated with VHA-to-VHA ED inter-facility transfer, 2012–2014
|  | Non-Transfer (n = 6,154,146) | Non-Avoidable Transfer (n = 14,560) | Potentially Avoidable Transfer (n = 4292) |
|---|---|---|---|
Age, y (SD) | 58.8 (16.0) | 58.9 (15.1) | 56.8 (15.5) |
Male, n (%) | 5,512,967 (90) | 13,624 (94) | 3930 (92) |
Rurality of Residence | |||
 Urban, n (%) | 5,078,808 (89) | 9374 (75) | 2899 (78) |
 Large Rural, n (%) | 343,642 (6) | 1678 (13) | 420 (11) |
 Small Rural, n (%) | 160,163 (3) | 826 (7) | 226 (6) |
 Isolated Rural, n (%) | 135,530 (2) | 653 (5) | 177 (5) |
Day of the Week | |||
 Monday, n (%) | 1,050,212 (17) | 2461 (17) | 706 (17) |
 Tuesday, n (%) | 978,139 (16) | 2260 (16) | 642 (15) |
 Wednesday, n (%) | 934,969 (15) | 2157 (15) | 658 (15) |
 Thursday, n (%) | 913,478 (15) | 2131 (15) | 682 (16) |
 Friday, n (%) | 920,805 (15) | 2171 (15) | 552 (13) |
 Saturday, n (%) | 679,584 (11) | 1637 (11) | 490 (11) |
 Sunday, n (%) | 635,672 (10) | 1743 (12) | 562 (13) |
Time of Day | |||
 8a-5p Mon-Fri, n (%) | 3,199,845 (52) | 6998 (48) | 1720 (40) |
 Evenings, nights, and weekends, n (%) | 2,913,014 (48) | 7562 (52) | 2572 (60) |
Transfer Location | |||
 ED, n (%) | N/A | 5427 (37) | 3212 (75) |
 Inpatient, n (%) | N/A | 9133 (63) | 1080 (25) |
Hospitalization, n (%) | 1,083,322 (18) | 14,533 (99) | 1435 (33) |
Hospital Length of Stay, d (median, IQR) | 4 (2, 7) | 5 (3, 9) | 1 (1, 1) |
Number of ED beds | 15.8 (10.8) | 11.8 (7.3) | 12.7 (6.8) |
Follow-up care | |||
 Visits at index hospital, n (%) | 4,832,894(79) | 11,841 (81) | 3139 (73) |
 Visits at referral hospital, n (%) | N/A | 10,502 (72) | 3266 (76) |
30-day Mortality, n (%) | 82,259 (1.3) | 422 (2.9) | 65 (1.5) |