A Pilot Study Using EMR (Electronic Medical Record) and BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) Registry Data to Evaluate Health Service Utilization in BMT Patients with Depression and Comorbid Conditions at an Academic Cancer Center

Abstract

Introduction and Objectives Depression has been shown to increase health service utilization in cancer patients. Using data from EMR and BMT Registry we evaluated the impact of depression and comorbidity in BMT patients at our center. Methods A retrospective review of EMR of autologous (AUTO) and allogeneic (ALLO) stem cell transplant patients in UCSD Moores Cancer Center from 2012 to 2017. All diagnoses were defined by ICD-9/ICD-10 codes. Between group differences were assessed by t-test and chi-square test. Negative binomial modeling was performed to evaluate predictors of length of stay in the hospital (LOS) and clinic visits. The analyses were adjusted for age, gender, cancer diagnosis, comorbid conditions, GVHD status (for ALLO patients only) and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Results A total of 731 patients of whom 22.3% had depression were identified: AUTO Patients (N = 472; 18% Depressed [85]); ALLO patients (N = 259; 30.1% depressed [78]). For the entire population, we compared depressed patients (n = 540) to non-depressed patients (n = 158). Significant differences were observed for LOS (days), clinic visits, and CCI: 59.58+/-49.48 vs. 40.28 (p For AUTO patients, the corresponding LOS, clinic visit, and CCI were 35.31+/-26.14 vs. 25.40+/-22.89 days (p = 0.002), 16.3+/-11.87 vs. 10.77+/-7.29 (p For AUTO patients, depression and infection were significant predictors for increased LOS and frequent clinic visits. For ALLO patients, significant predictors for increased LOS includes COPD and chronic GVHD which was a significant predictor for frequent clinic visits (Table 1). Conclusion Depression and comorbidities had a significant impact on health service utilization. Clinicians and health systems should recognize the importance of providing care in BMT patients with depression and managing comorbid conditions.