Does Use of the American College of Surgeons NSQIP Calculator Change a Surgeon’s Decision to Operate? A Randomized Trial

METHODS: Criteria were elicited from an institution’s surgical faculty when making discharge decisions, using a survey instrument. Patient data from these surgical services were then analyzed using a time-to-event model to identify criteria that explain the timing of discharges. The data were then used to develop a timevarying prediction model of unplanned readmissions. The readmissions model was validated via a series of inand out-of-sample tests using bootstrapped, partitioned patients. All 3 sources of discharge practices were then compared.