Adjusted admission rates for respiratory distress (COPD, asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia) varied up to 3.09-fold between the highest and lowest hos pital market areas in 1986 for the state of Ohio. Reasons for the variability can be determined through small area analysis techniques with the help of area physicians. Substantial improvements in the availability, delivery, and cost of respiratory care would reasonably be anticipated as a result of such analysis and feedback.
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