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Direct and lost productivity costs associated with avoidable hospital admissions.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions are commonly used to evaluate primary health care performance, as the hospital admission could be avoided if care was timely and adequate. Previous evidence indicates that avoidable hospitalizations carry a substantial direct financial burden in some countries. However, no attention has been given to the economic burden on society they represent. The aim of this study is to estimate the direct and lost productivity costs of avoidable hospital admissions in Portugal. METHODS:Hospitalizations occurring in Portugal in 2015 were analyzed. Avoidable hospitalizations were defined and their associated costs and years of potential life lost were calculated. Direct costs were obtained using official hospitalization prices. For lost productivity, there were estimated costs for absenteeism and premature death. Costs were analyzed by components, by conditions and by variations on estimation parameters. RESULTS:The total estimated cost associated with avoidable hospital admissions was €250 million (€2515 per hospitalization), corresponding to 6% of the total budget of public hospitals in Portugal. These hospitalizations led to 109,641?years of potential life lost. Bacterial pneumonia, congestive heart failure and urinary tract infection accounted for 77% of the overall costs. Nearly 82% of avoidable hospitalizations were in patients aged 65?years or older, therefore did not account for the lost productivity costs. Nearly 84% of the total cost comes from the direct cost of the hospitalization. Lost productivity costs are estimated to be around €40 million. CONCLUSION:The age distribution of avoidable hospitalizations had a significant effect on costs components. Not only did hospital admissions have a substantial direct economic impact, they also imposed a considerable economic burden on society. Substantial financial resources could potentially be saved if the country reduced avoidable hospitalizations.

SUBMITTER: Rocha JVM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7069007 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Direct and lost productivity costs associated with avoidable hospital admissions.

Rocha João Victor Muniz JVM Marques Ana Patrícia AP Moita Bruno B Santana Rui R

BMC health services research 20200313 1

<h4>Background</h4>Hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions are commonly used to evaluate primary health care performance, as the hospital admission could be avoided if care was timely and adequate. Previous evidence indicates that avoidable hospitalizations carry a substantial direct financial burden in some countries. However, no attention has been given to the economic burden on society they represent. The aim of this study is to estimate the direct and lost productivity cost ...[more]

PMID: 32164697

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Project description:ObjectiveDiabetes is a so-called ambulatory care sensitive condition. It is assumed that by appropriate and timely primary care, hospital admissions for complications of such conditions can be avoided. This study examines whether differences between countries in diabetes-related hospitalization rates can be attributed to differences in the organization of primary care in these countries.DesignData on characteristics of primary care systems were obtained from the QUALICOPC study that includes surveys held among general practitioners and their patients in 34 countries. Data on avoidable hospitalizations were obtained from the OECD Health Care Quality Indicator project. Negative binomial regressions were carried out to investigate the association between characteristics of primary care and diabetes-related hospitalizations.SettingA total of 23 countries.SubjectsGeneral practitioners and patients.Main outcome measuresDiabetes-related avoidable hospitalizations.ResultsContinuity of care was associated with lower rates of diabetes-related hospitalization. Broader task profiles for general practitioners and more medical equipment in general practice were associated with higher rates of admissions for uncontrolled diabetes. Countries where patients perceive better access to care had higher rates of hospital admissions for long-term diabetes complications. There was no association between disease management programmes and rates of diabetes-related hospitalization. Hospital bed supply was strongly associated with admission rates for uncontrolled diabetes and long-term complications.ConclusionsCountries with elements of strong primary care do not necessarily have lower rates of diabetes-related hospitalizations. Hospital bed supply appeared to be a very important factor in this relationship. Apparently, it takes more than strong primary care to avoid hospitalizations.Key pointsCountries with elements of strong primary care do not necessarily have lower rates of diabetes-related avoidable hospitalization. Hospital bed supply is strongly associated with admission rates for uncontrolled diabetes and long-term complications. Continuity of care was associated with lower rates of diabetes-related hospitalization. Better access to care, broader task profiles for general practitioners, and more medical equipment in general practice was associated with higher rates of admissions for diabetes.

Project description:ObjectiveTo examine the effect of optimising drug treatment on drug related hospital admissions in older adults with multimorbidity and polypharmacy admitted to hospital.DesignCluster randomised controlled trial.Setting110 clusters of inpatient wards within university based hospitals in four European countries (Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, and Republic of Ireland) defined by attending hospital doctors.Participants2008 older adults (≥70 years) with multimorbidity (≥3 chronic conditions) and polypharmacy (≥5 drugs used long term).InterventionClinical staff clusters were randomised to usual care or a structured pharmacotherapy optimisation intervention performed at the individual level jointly by a doctor and a pharmacist, with the support of a clinical decision software system deploying the screening tool of older person's prescriptions and screening tool to alert to the right treatment (STOPP/START) criteria to identify potentially inappropriate prescribing.Main outcome measurePrimary outcome was first drug related hospital admission within 12 months.Results2008 older adults (median nine drugs) were randomised and enrolled in 54 intervention clusters (963 participants) and 56 control clusters (1045 participants) receiving usual care. In the intervention arm, 86.1% of participants (n=789) had inappropriate prescribing, with a mean of 2.75 (SD 2.24) STOPP/START recommendations for each participant. 62.2% (n=491) had ≥1 recommendation successfully implemented at two months, predominantly discontinuation of potentially inappropriate drugs. In the intervention group, 211 participants (21.9%) experienced a first drug related hospital admission compared with 234 (22.4%) in the control group. In the intention-to-treat analysis censored for death as competing event (n=375, 18.7%), the hazard ratio for first drug related hospital admission was 0.95 (95% confidence interval 0.77 to 1.17). In the per protocol analysis, the hazard ratio for a drug related hospital admission was 0.91 (0.69 to 1.19). The hazard ratio for first fall was 0.96 (0.79 to 1.15; 237 v 263 first falls) and for death was 0.90 (0.71 to 1.13; 172 v 203 deaths).ConclusionsInappropriate prescribing was common in older adults with multimorbidity and polypharmacy admitted to hospital and was reduced through an intervention to optimise pharmacotherapy, but without effect on drug related hospital admissions. Additional efforts are needed to identify pharmacotherapy optimisation interventions that reduce inappropriate prescribing and improve patient outcomes.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02986425.

Project description:ObjectiveTo determine the costs and hospital resource use from all PICU patients readmitted with a PICU stay within 12 months of hospital index discharge.DesignCross-sectional, retrospective cohort study using Pediatric Health Information System.SettingFifty-two tertiary children's hospitals.SubjectsPediatric patients under 18 years old admitted to the PICU from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2017.InterventionsNone.Measurements and main resultsPatient characteristics and costs of care were compared between those with readmission requiring PICU care and those with only a single PICU admission per annum. In this 2-year cohort, there were 239,157 index PICU patients of which 36,970 (15.5%) were readmitted and required PICU care during the 12 months following index admission. The total hospital cost for all index admissions and readmissions was $17.3 billion, of which 21.5% ($3.71 billion) were incurred during a readmission stay involving care in the PICU; of the 3,459,079 hospital days, 20.3% (702,200) were readmission days including those where PICU care was required. Of the readmitted patients, 11,703 (30.0%) received only PICU care, accounting for $662 million in costs and 110,215 PICU days. Although 43.6% of all costs were associated with patients who required readmission, these patients only accounted for 15.5% of the index patients and 28% of index hospitalization expenditures. More patients in the readmitted group had chronic complex conditions at index discharge compared with those not readmitted (83.9% vs 54.9%; p < 0.001). Compared with those discharged directly to home without home healthcare, patients discharged to a skilled nursing facility had 18% lower odds of readmission (odds ratio 0.82 [95% CI, 0.75-0.89]; p < 0.001) and those discharged home with home healthcare had 43% higher odds of readmission (odds ratio, 1.43 [95% CI, 1.36-1.51]; p < 0.001).ConclusionsRepeated admissions with PICU care resulted in significant direct medical costs and resource use for U.S. children's hospitals.

Project description:ImportanceHigh health care costs encourage initiatives that avoid overuse of resources and identify opportunities to promote appropriate care.ObjectiveTo investigate the causes of potentially avoidable surgical intensive care unit (SICU) admissions and disposition delays to determine whether targeted interventions could decrease these stays.Design, setting, and participantsThis prospective, observational study focused on potentially avoidable SICU days, as determined by observers with input from the rounding intensivists at a 24-bed open SICU at an urban, academic hospital. The preintervention phase occurred from April 6 through June 21, 2015; after implementation of targeted interventions, the postintervention phase occurred from April 4 through June 28, 2016. Data collected included demographic characteristics, reason for admission, and length of stay. All patients admitted to the SICU during the preintervention and postintervention phases were included in the analysis.InterventionsBased on results collected in the preintervention phase, targeted interventions were designed and implemented from July 1, 2015, through March 31, 2016, including (1) reducing SICU care for minor traumatic brain injury, (2) optimizing postoperative airway management, (3) enhancing communication between services regarding transfers to the SICU, (4) identifying and facilitating more timely end-of-life conversations and supportive care consultations, and (5) encouraging early disposition of patients to floor beds.Main outcomes and measuresChanges in the proportion of potentially avoidable SICU days owing to potentially avoidable admissions and/or disposition delays.ResultsA total of 459 patients (253 men [55.1%] and 206 women [44.9%]; median age, 62 years [interquartile range, 46-75 years]) were admitted during the preintervention and postintervention phases. Of 261 patients admitted during the preintervention period and 245 during the postintervention period, median SICU and hospital length of stay remained unchanged. A reduction was noted in the percentage of postintervention SICU days owing to potentially avoidable admissions (152 of 1168 days [13%] vs 118 of 1338 days [8.8%]; P?=?.001) and disposition delays (138 of 1168 days [11.8%] vs 97 of 1338 days [7.2%]; P?<?.001). During the postintervention period, decreases were noted in the SICU days related to the most common sources of potentially avoidable admissions (SICU stay ?24 hours, airway concerns, and somnolence) and disposition delays (end-of-life decisions and floor bed unavailable) as well as in the overall rate of potentially avoidable days (269 of 1168 days [23%] vs 205 of 1338 days [15.3%]; P?<?.001).Conclusions and relevanceNearly one-fourth of SICU days could be categorized as potentially avoidable. Targeted interventions resulted in a significant reduction of potentially avoidable SICU days.

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Direct and lost productivity costs associated with avoidable hospital admissions.

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Direct and lost productivity costs associated with avoidable hospital admissions.

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