Annual Burden and Costs of Hospitalization for High-Need, High-Cost Patients With Chronic Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases

Abstract

We estimated the annual burden and costs of hospitalization in patients with chronic gastrointestinal and liver diseases, and identified characteristics of high-need, high-cost patients, in a nationally representative sample. Using Nationwide Readmissions Database 2013, we identified patients with at least 1 hospitalization between January and June 2013, and a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), chronic liver diseases (CLDs), functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), gastrointestinal hemorrhage, or pancreatic diseases, with 6 months or more of follow up. We calculated days spent in hospital/month and estimated costs of the entire cohort, and identified characteristics of high-need, high-cost patients (top decile of days spent in hospital/month). Patients with IBD (n= 47,402), CLDs (n= 376,810), FGIDs (n= 351,583), gastrointestinal hemorrhage (n= 190,881), or pancreatic diseases (n= 98,432), hospitalized at least once, spent a median of 6 to 7 days (interquartile range, 3-14 d) in the hospital each year (total for all diseases). Compared to patients in the lowest decile (median, 0.13-0.14 d/mo spent in the hospital), patients in the highest decile spent a median 3.7-4.1 days/month in hospital (total for all diseases), with hospitalization costs ranging from $7502/month to $8925/month and 1hospitalization every 2 months. Gastrointestinal diseases, infections, and cardiopulmonary causes were leading reasons for hospitalization of these patients. Based on multivariate logistic regression, high-need, high-cost patients were more likely to have Medicare/Medicaid insurance, lower income status, index hospitalization in a large rural hospital, high comorbidity burden, obesity, and infection-related hospitalization. In a nationwide database analysis of patients with IBD, CLD, FGID, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, or pancreatic diseases hospitalized at least once, we found that a small fraction of high-need, high-cost patients contribute disproportionately to hospitalization costs. Population health management directed toward these patients would facilitate high-value care.