This article presents a set of performance indicators measuring how well devolved health authorities do at providing secondary-level hospital services to residents in their jurisdictions. The study is based on an analysis of Nova Scotia discharge abstract data from 1992–93 to 1999–00. While most residents of Nova Scotia obtain this level of care in their own districts, wide variations persisted over time in hospitals' commitment to residents within their own districts.
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The Boolean logic used to generate the initial list of secondary procedures is as follows. Search all primary procedure codes in the following types of hospitals: (Tertiary AND (Regional OR Community)) OR (Regional AND Community).