- AThe smaller hospitals send on to the large hospital any patient whose burns are extensive or complicated, keeping only the milder cases themselves
- BThe large hospital has more beds than any of the smaller hospitals
- CBurns at the large hospital are treated in a specialised unit
- DThe smaller hospitals charge lower fees than the large hospital
Step-by-Step Solution
The two death rates are calculated over quite different groups of patients. If the worst cases are funnelled to the large hospital while the milder ones stay behind, the large hospital's higher rate reflects the severity of the cases it receives rather than the quality of its care. Bed count, a specialised unit and fee levels do nothing to explain why more of its patients die.
Answer: A) The smaller hospitals send on to the large hospital any patient whose burns are extensive or complicated, keeping only the milder cases themselves