CT performed slightly better than MR imaging for all interpretative criteria. However, a high NPV was achieved only when a low size criterion was used and was therefore associated with a relatively low PPV.

MR imaging is superior to Doppler US and CT in diagnosis of malignant ovarian masses. There is little variation among conventional US, CT, and MR imaging as regards staging.

FNAB of nonpalpable breast lesions has limited value given the high insufficient sample rate and greater diagnostic accuracy of other interventions, including core-needle biopsy and needle-localized open surgical biopsy.

This research represents the first large-scale longitudinal evaluation of the association of culture change and nursing home quality of care. Based on the survey deficiency results, nursing homes that were identified as culture change adopters were associated with better care although the surveyors were not blind to the nursing home's culture change efforts. This finding suggests culture change may have the potential to improve MDS-based quality outcomes, but this has not yet been observed.

Medical directors and DONs agree about most factors that influence decisions to hospitalize nursing home residents. Patient-centered factors play the largest roles, and the most important causes of overhospitalization are potentially modifiable.

#{149} Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve #{149} Soft tissues, neoplasms, 40.32 Abbreviations: RDOC = Radiology Diagnostic Oncology Group, ROC = receiver operating characteristic, SE = spin echo.

ObjectivesTo model the predictors of the time to first acute hospitalization for nursing home residents, and accounting for previous hospitalizations, model the predictors of time between subsequent hospitalizations.Data SourcesMerged file from New York State for the period 1998–2004 consisting of nursing home information from the minimum dataset and hospitalization information from the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System.Study DesignAccelerated failure time models were used to estimate the model parameters and predict survival times. The models were fit to observations from 50 percent of the nursing homes and validated on the remaining observations.Principal FindingsPressure ulcers and facility-level deficiencies were associated with a decreased time to first hospitalization, while the presence of advance directives and facility staffing was associated with an increased time. These predictors of the time to first hospitalization model had effects of similar magnitude in predicting the time between subsequent hospitalizations.ConclusionsThis study provides novel evidence suggesting modifiable patient and nursing home characteristics are associated with the time to first hospitalization and time to subsequent hospitalizations for nursing home residents.

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