The data file may be downloaded with the numbers in some data columns (e,g,: Total Hospital Cost and Total Hospital Revenue) expressed or presented in scientific notation. Please, re-format all such data columns from scientific format (e.g.: 4.823 X 10e2) to regular number format (482.3). Another example is 4.5×10e−3 reformated to 0.0045.

Table 1 attached 

NOTE: Please note how the t Value and the (Pr<|t|) values are presented in the last column. The format should be the same for each hospital characteristic.

Figure E.1 – 

Attached 

In your Summary Report:

1. Findings: Please write a short paragraph to describe your findings. Make sure to attach any plotted graph(s).
2. Performance – Conclusion: Based on your findings in which year did US hospitals have better performance? What is that based on?

The question you are asked is – in which year (2011 or 2012) did hospitals have better performance? To determine that you would need to use the data to calculate a measure of performance for each hospital.  So, for example, you could calculate Hospital Cost per Discharge = Total Hospital Cost/Total Hospital Discharges, for each hospital (see the last row in Table 1 template above). Then you can comment on which year the hospitals had better performance, based on the values in that row.  This is an example. You could combine other sets of hospital data to create a different measure of performance. Insert that measure as another row in the Table, and determine if the difference in hospital performance for the 2 years is statistically significant for that measure.