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Trends in Hospitalization of Patients with Potentially Serious Diseases Evaluated at a Quick Diagnosis Clinic.

ABSTRACT: Although quick diagnosis units (QDU) have become a cost-effective alternative to inpatient admission for diagnosis of potentially serious diseases, the rate of return hospitalizations among evaluated patients is unknown. This study examined the temporal trends in admissions of QDU patients through 15 years. Adult patients referred to QDU from 2004 to 2019 who were hospitalized between the first and last visit in the unit were eligible. Decisions about admissions were mainly based on the Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol and required independent validation by experienced clinicians using a customized tool. The final analysis included 825 patients. Patient characteristics and major reasons for admission were compared each year and linear trends were analyzed. Admission rates decreased from 7.2% in 2004-2005 to 4.3% in 2018-2019 (p < 0.0001). While a significant increasing trend was observed in the rate of admissions due to cancer-related complications (from 39.5% in 2004-2005 to 61.7% in 2018-2019; p < 0.0001), those due to anemia-related complications and scheduled invasive procedures experienced a significant downward trend. A likely explanation for these declining trends was the relocation of the unit to a new daycare center in 2013-2014 with recovery rooms and armchairs for IV treatments. The facts of this study could help in the provision of anticipatory guidance for the optimal management of patients at risk of clinical complications.

SUBMITTER: Bosch X

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7460236 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Trends in Hospitalization of Patients with Potentially Serious Diseases Evaluated at a Quick Diagnosis Clinic.

Bosch Xavier X Ladino Andrea A Moreno-Lozano Pedro P Jordán Anna A López-Soto Alfonso A

Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) 20200813 8

Although quick diagnosis units (QDU) have become a cost-effective alternative to inpatient admission for diagnosis of potentially serious diseases, the rate of return hospitalizations among evaluated patients is unknown. This study examined the temporal trends in admissions of QDU patients through 15 years. Adult patients referred to QDU from 2004 to 2019 who were hospitalized between the first and last visit in the unit were eligible. Decisions about admissions were mainly based on the Appropri ...[more]

PMID: 32823623

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Project description:BackgroundIn Spain, primary healthcare (PHC) referrals for diagnostic procedures are subject to long waiting-times, and physicians and patients often use the emergency department (ED) as a shortcut. We aimed to determine whether patients evaluated at a hospital outpatient quick diagnosis unit (QDU) who were referred to ED from 12 PHC centers could have been directly referred to QDU, thus avoiding ED visits. As a secondary objective, we determined the proportion of QDU patients who might have been evaluated in a less rapid, non-QDU setting.MethodsWe carried out a cross-sectional retrospective cohort study of patients with potentially serious conditions attended by the QDU from December 2007 to December 2012. We established 2 groups of patients: 1) patients referred from PHC to QDU (PHC-QDU group) and 2) patients referred from PHC to ED, then to QDU (PHC-ED-QDU group). Two observers assessed the appropriateness/inappropriateness of each referral using a scoring system. The interobserver agreement was assessed by calculating the kappa index. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the factors associated with the dependent variable 'ED referral'.ResultsWe evaluated 1186 PHC-QDU and 1004 PHC-ED-QDU patients and estimated that 93.1% of PHC-ED-QDU patients might have been directly referred to QDU. In contrast, 96% of PHC-QDU patients were found to be appropriately referred to QDU first. The agreement for PHC-QDU referrals (PHC-QDU group) was rated as excellent (?=0.81), while it was rated as good for PHC-ED referrals (PHC-ED-QDU group) (?=0.75). The mean waiting-time for the first QDU visit was longer in PHC-QDU (4.8 days) than in PHC-ED-QDU (2.6 days) patients (P=.001). On multivariate analysis, anemia (OR 2.87, 95% CI 1.49-4.55, P<.001), rectorrhagia (OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.10-3.77, P=.01) and febrile syndrome (OR 2.53, 95% CI 1.33-4.12, P=.002) were independent factors associated with ED referral. Nearly one-fifth of all QDU patients were found who might have been evaluated in a less rapid, non-QDU setting.ConclusionsMost PHC-ED-QDU patients might have been directly referred to QDU from PHC, avoiding the inconvenience of the ED visit. A stricter definition of QDU evaluation criteria may be needed to improve and hasten PHC referrals.

Project description:Background and objectivesAlthough patients with CKD are commonly hospitalized, little is known about those with frequent hospitalization and/or longer lengths of stay (high inpatient use). The objective of this study was to explore clinical characteristics, patterns of hospital use, and potentially preventable acute care encounters among patients with CKD with at least one hospitalization.Design, setting, participants, & measurementsWe identified all adults with nondialysis CKD (eGFR<60 ml/min per 1.73 m2) in Alberta, Canada between January 1 and December 31, 2009, excluding those with prior kidney failure. Patients with CKD were linked to administrative data to capture clinical characteristics and frequency of hospital encounters, and they were followed until death or end of study (December 31, 2012). Patients with one or more hospital encounters were categorized into three groups: persistent high inpatient use (upper 5% of inpatient use in 2 or more years), episodic high use (upper 5% in 1 year only), or nonhigh use (lower 95% in all years). Within each group, we calculated the proportion of potentially preventable hospitalizations as defined by four CKD-specific ambulatory care sensitive conditions: heart failure, hyperkalemia, volume overload, and malignant hypertension.ResultsDuring a median follow-up of 3 years, 57,007 patients with CKD not on dialysis had 118,671 hospitalizations, of which 1.7% of patients were persistent high users, 12.3% were episodic high users, and 86.0% were nonhigh users of hospital services. Overall, 24,804 (20.9%) CKD-related ambulatory care sensitive condition encounters were observed in the cohort. The persistent and episodic high users combined (14% of the cohort) accounted for almost one half (45.5%) of the total ambulatory care sensitive condition hospitalizations, most of which were attributed to heart failure and hyperkalemia. Risk of hospitalization for any CKD-specific ambulatory care sensitive condition was higher among older patients, higher CKD stage, lower income, registered First Nations status, and those with poor attachment to primary care.ConclusionsMany hospitalizations among patients with CKD and high inpatient use are ambulatory care sensitive condition related, suggesting opportunities to improve outcomes and reduce cost by focusing on better community-based care for this population.

Project description:ImportanceDelayed appendicitis diagnosis is associated with worse outcomes. Appendicitis hospital care costs associated with delayed diagnosis are unknown.ObjectiveTo determine whether delayed appendicitis diagnosis was associated with increased appendicitis hospital care costs.Design, setting, and participantsThis cohort study used data from patients receiving an appendectomy aged 18 to 64 years in 5 states (Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Wisconsin) that were captured in the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient and Emergency Department databases for the years 2016 and 2017 with no additional follow-up. Data were analyzed January through April 2023.ExposuresDelayed diagnosis was defined as a previous emergency department or inpatient hospital encounter with an abdominal diagnosis other than appendicitis, and no intervention 7 days prior to appendectomy encounter.Main outcomes and measuresThe main outcome was appendicitis hospital care costs. This was calculated from aggregated charges of encounters 7 days prior to appendectomy, the appendectomy encounter, and 30 days postoperatively. Cost-to-charge ratios were applied to charges to obtain costs, which were then adjusted for wage index, inflation to 2022 US dollar, and with extreme outliers winsorized. A multivariable Poisson regression estimated appendicitis hospital care costs associated with a delayed diagnosis while controlling for age, sex, race and ethnicity, insurance status, care discontinuity, income quartile, hospital size, teaching status, medical school affiliation, percentage of Black and Hispanic patient discharges, core-based statistical area, and state.ResultsThere were 76 183 patients (38 939 female [51.1%]; 2192 Asian or Pacific Islander [2.9%], 14 132 Hispanic [18.5%], 8195 non-Hispanic Black [10.8%], 46 949 non-Hispanic White [61.6%]) underwent appendectomy, and 2045 (2.7%) had a delayed diagnosis. Delayed diagnosis patients had median (IQR) unadjusted cost of $11 099 ($6752-$17 740) compared with $9177 ($5575-$14 481) for nondelayed (P < .001). Patients with delayed diagnosis had 1.23 times (95% CI, 1.16-1.28 times) adjusted increased appendicitis hospital care costs. The mean marginal cost of delayed diagnosis was $2712 (95% CI, $2083-$3342). Even controlling for delayed diagnosis, non-Hispanic Black patients had 1.22 times (95% CI, 1.17-1.28 times) the adjusted increased appendicitis hospital care costs compared with non-Hispanic White patients.Conclusions and relevanceIn this cohort study, delayed diagnosis of appendicitis was associated with increased hospital care costs.

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Trends in Hospitalization of Patients with Potentially Serious Diseases Evaluated at a Quick Diagnosis Clinic.

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Trends in Hospitalization of Patients with Potentially Serious Diseases Evaluated at a Quick Diagnosis Clinic.

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