Hospital Resource Utilization Research Articles

The Landscape of Resource Utilization After Resuscitation of 22-, 23-, and 24-Weeks’ Gestation Infants

ObjectiveTo compare estimated healthcare resources needed to care for 22 through 24 weeks’ gestation infants. Study designThis multicenter, retrospective cohort study included 1,505 live in-born and out-born infants 22 through 24 weeks’ gestational age at delivery from six pediatric tertiary care hospitals from 2011 through 2020. Median neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) length of stay (LOS) for each gestational age was used as a proxy for hospital resource utilization, and the number of comorbidities and medical technology use for each infant were used as estimates of future medical care needs. Data were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis with Nemenyi’s post hoc test and Fisher’s exact test. ResultsOf the identified newborns, 22-week infants had shorter median LOS than their 23- and 24-week counterparts due to low survival rates. There was no significant difference in LOS for surviving 22-week infants compared with surviving 23-week infants. Surviving 22-week infants had similar proportions of comorbidities and medical technology use as 23-week infants. ConclusionsCompared with 23- and 24-week infants, 22-week infants did not use a disproportionate amount of hospital resources. 22-week infants should not be excluded from resuscitation based on concern for increased hospital care and medical technology requirements. As overall resuscitation efforts and survival rates increase for 22-week infants, future research will be needed to assess the evolution of these results.

Complications in Acute Myocardial Infarction: Navigating Challenges in Diagnosis and Management

In recent decades, significant advancements in pharmacological, catheter-based, and surgical reperfusion technologies have markedly improved outcomes for individuals undergoing acute myocardial infarction. Despite these remarkable progressions, a segment of patients, particularly those with extensive infarctions or delays in revascularization, remains vulnerable to the onset of mechanical complications associated with myocardial infarction. These complications, spanning mechanical, electrical, ischemic, inflammatory, and thromboembolic events, pose substantial risks of morbidity, mortality, and increased utilization of hospital resources. The management of patients experiencing these complications is intricate, necessitating collaborative efforts among various specialties. Timely identification, accurate diagnosis, hemodynamic stabilization, and decision-making support are crucial for guiding patients and their families in choosing between definitive treatments or palliative care. This review underscores the critical importance of promptly identifying and initiating therapy to reduce prolonged periods of cardiogenic shock and the potential for fatality. By presenting key clinical and diagnostic insights, this review aims to further improve early diagnosis and offer an updated perspective on current management strategies for the diverse range of complications associated with acute myocardial infarction.

Rising Inpatient Utilization and Costs of Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome Hospitalizations in Massachusetts After Cannabis Legalization.

We described the demographics, inpatient utilization, and cost of services among patients hospitalized for putative cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) predating and postdating cannabis legalization in Massachusetts. As the recreational use of cannabis has been widely legalized nationally, the resulting shifts in clinical presentation, health care utilization, and estimated costs of CHS hospitalizations remain unclear in the postlegalization era. We performed a retrospective cohort study among patients admitted to a large urban hospital between 2012 and 2021, before and after the date of cannabis legalization in Massachusetts (Dec 15, 2016). We examined the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients admitted for putative CHS, the utilization of hospital services, and estimated inpatient costs pre and postlegalization. We identified a significant increase in putative CHS hospitalizations pre and post-cannabis legalization in Massachusetts (0.1% vs 0.02% of total admissions per time period, P < 0.05). Across 72 CHS hospitalizations, patient demographics were similar pre and postlegalization. Hospital resource utilization increased postlegalization, with increased length of stay (3 d vs 1 d, P < 0.005), and need for antiemetics ( P < 0.05). Multivariate linear regression confirmed that postlegalization admissions were independently associated with increased length of stay ( Β = 5.35, P < 0.05). The mean cost of hospitalization was significantly higher postlegalization ($18,714 vs $7460, P < 0.0005), even after adjusting for medical inflation ($18,714 vs $8520, P < 0.001) with intravenous fluid administration and endoscopy costs increased ( P < 0.05). On multivariate linear regression, hospitalization for putative CHS during postlegalization predicted increased costs ( Β = 10,131.25, P < 0.05). In the postlegalization era of cannabis in Massachusetts, we found increased putative CHS hospitalizations, with a concomitant increased length of hospital stay and total cost per hospitalization. As cannabis use increases, the recognition and costs of its deleterious effects are necessary to incorporate into future clinical practice strategies and health policy.

Resource Utilization Following Anterior Versus Posterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion for Acute Central Cord Syndrome.

Retrospective cohort study. The purpose of this study is to compare the impact of anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) versus posterior cervical decompression and fusion (PCDF) for the treatment of acute traumatic central cord syndrome (CCS) on hospital episodes of care in terms of (1) cost, (2) length of hospital stay, and (3) discharge destination. Acute traumatic CCS is the most common form of spinal cord injury in the United States. CCS is commonly treated with surgical decompression and fusion. Hospital resource utilization based on surgical approach remains unclear. Patients undergoing ACDF and PCDF for acute traumatic CCS were identified using the 2019 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review Limited Data Set and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 2019 Impact File. Multivariate models for hospital cost of care, length of stay, and discharge destination were performed, controlling for confounders. Subanalysis of accommodation and revenue center cost drivers was performed. There were 1474 cases that met inclusion criteria: 673 ACDF (45.7%) and 801 PCDF (54.3%). ACDF was independently associated with a decreased cost of $9802 ( P <0.001) and a 59.2% decreased risk of discharge to nonhome destinations (adjusted odds ratio: 0.408, P <0.001). The difference in length of stay was not statistically significant. On subanalysis of cost drivers, ACDF was associated with decreased charges ($55,736, P <0.001) compared with PCDF, the largest drivers being the intensive care unit ($15,873, 28% of total charges, P <0.001) and medical/surgical supply charges ($19,651, 35% of total charges, P <0.001). For treatment of acute traumatic CCS, ACDF was associated with almost $10,000 less expensive cost of care and a 60% decreased risk of discharge to nonhome destination compared with PCDF. The largest cost drivers appear to be ICU and medical/surgical-related. These findings may inform value-based decisions regarding the treatment of acute traumatic CCS. However, injury and patient clinical factors should always be prioritized in surgical decision-making, and increased granularity in reimbursement policies is needed to prevent financial disincentives in the treatment of patients with CCS better addressed with posterior approach-surgery.

Elective Single-Level Primary Anterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion for Degenerative Spondylotic Cervical Myelopathy Is Associated With Decreased Resource Utilization Versus Posterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion.

Retrospective cohort study. To compare elective single-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) versus posterior cervical decompression and fusion (PCDF) for degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) in terms of (1) cost, (2) length of hospital stay, and (3) discharge destination in Medicare patients. A sub-analysis of potential cost drivers was also performed. In the era of value-based medicine, there is substantial interest in reducing the cost of care. Both ACDF and PCDF are used to treat DCM but carry different morbidity and risk profiles that can impact hospital resource utilization. However, this has not been assessed on a national level. Patients undergoing single-level elective ACDF and PCDF surgery were identified using the 2019 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) Limited Data Set (LDS) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 2019 Impact File. Multivariate models of hospital cost of care, length of stay, and discharge destination were performed, controlling for confounders. A univariate sub-analysis of 9 revenue centers was performed. In all, 3942 patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean cost of elective single-level cervical fusion for myelopathy was $18,084±10,783, and the mean length of stay was 2.45±2.95d. On multivariate analysis, ACDF was independently associated with decreased cost of $5,814 ( P <0.001), shorter length of stay by 1.1 days ( P <0.001), and decreased risk of nonhome discharge destination by 58% (adjusted odds ratio: 0.422, P <0.001).On sub-analysis of 9 revenue centers, medical/surgical supply ($10,497, 44%), operating room charges ($5401, 23%), and accommodations ($3999, 17%) were the largest drivers of charge differences. Single-level elective primary ACDF for DCM was independently associated with decreased cost, decreased hospital length of stay, and a lower rate of nonhome discharge compared with PCDF. Medical and surgical supply, operating room, and accommodation differences between ACDF and PCDF are potential areas for intervention. Increased granularity in reimbursement structures is warranted to prevent the creation of disincentives to the treatment of patients with DCM with pathology that is better addressed with PCDF. Level-III Retrospective Cohort Study.

Comparison of In-Hospital Outcomes between Early and Late Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis in Acute Pulmonary Embolism: A Retrospective Observational Study.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether early initiation of catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) in patients presenting with acute pulmonary embolism is associated with improved in-hospital outcomes. A retrospective cohort was extracted from the 2016-2019 National Inpatient Sample database, consisting of 21,730 weighted admissions undergoing CDT acute PE. From the time of admission, the sample was divided into early (<48 h) and late interventions (>48 h). Outcomes were measured using regression analysis and propensity score matching. No significant differences in mortality, cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock, or intracranial hemorrhage (p > 0.05) were found between the early and late CDT groups. Late CDT patients had a higher likelihood of receiving systemic thrombolysis (3.21 [2.18-4.74], p < 0.01), blood transfusion (1.84 [1.41-2.40], p < 0.01), intubation (1.33 [1.05-1.70], p = 0.02), discharge disposition to care facilities (1.32 [1.14-1.53], p < 0.01). and having acute kidney injury (1.42 [1.25-1.61], p < 0.01). Predictors of late intervention were older age, female sex, non-white ethnicity, non-teaching hospital admission, hospitals with higher bed sizes, and weekend admission (p < 0.01). This study represents a comprehensive evaluation of outcomes associated with the time interval for initiating CDT, revealing reduced morbidity with early intervention. Additionally, it identifies predictors associated with delayed CDT initiation. The broader ramifications of these findings, particularly in relation to hospital resource utilization and health disparities, warrant further exploration.

Factors associated with safe and successful postoperative day 1 discharge after lung operations: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundA shorter length of stay (LOS) is associated with fewer hospital-acquired adverse conditions and decreased utilization of hospital resources. While modern perioperative care protocols have enabled some ambitious surgical teams to achieve discharge as early as within postoperative day 1 (POD1), most other teams remain cautious about such an approach due to the perceived risk of missing postoperative complications and increased readmission rates. We aimed to identify factors that would help guide surgical teams aiming for safe and successful POD1 discharge after lung resection.MethodsWe searched the PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and CENTRAL databases for articles comparing perioperative characteristics in patients discharged within POD1 (DWPOD1) and after POD1 (DAPOD1) following lung resection. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model.ResultsWe included eight retrospective cohort studies with a total of 216,887 patients, of which 22,250 (10.3%) patients were DWPOD1. Our meta-analysis showed that younger patients, those without cardiovascular and respiratory comorbidities, and those with better preoperative pulmonary function are more likely to qualify for DWPOD1. Certain operative factors, such as a minimally invasive approach, shorter operations, and sublobar resections, also favor DWPOD1. DWPOD1 appears to be safe, with comparable 30-day mortality and readmission rates, and significantly less postoperative morbidity than DAPOD1.ConclusionsIn select patients with a favorable preoperative profile, DWPOD1 after lung resection can be achieved successfully and without increased risk of adverse outcomes such as postoperative morbidity, mortality, or readmissions.

Benign extradural haemorrhage: scope of conservative trial

BackgroundEpidural hematomas have been treated with urgent surgical evacuation to prevent catastrophic neurological sequelae and death. Brain Trauma Foundation recommends EDH volume greater than 30 cm3 and warrants surgical evacuation irrespective of GCS. However, due to increase in number of patients undergoing brain CTs following head injuries, more patients have been detected with EDH causing minimal symptoms.Aims and objectivesTo study factors influencing patients being treated conservatively for head injury with supratentorial epidural hematomas.Material and methodsOur study is a retrospective analysis of supratentorial epidural hematoma treated conservatively from august 2018 to July 2020 at Sher-i-Kashmir institute of medical sciences, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.ResultsA total of 19 patients with EDH were treated conservatively and fulfilled the inclusion criteria.(GCS of 13–15 with no neurological deficit, mild signs of elevated ICP, EDH thickness < 1.5 cm on CT, EDH volume on CT < 30 ml, midline shift on CT less than or equal to 5 mm with no significant intradural pathology)Age ranged from 2 months to 70 years (average 27.15 yrs)males (89.47%) predominated females (10.53%). Motor vehicular accidents were the most common mode of injury (42.1%). EDH was localised 13 times on right side, 5 times on left side and bilateral in one, supratentorially. A midline shift of 5 mm was found in 3 of 19 patients; GCS was > 13 on admission. 8 patients were hospitalised for a week, whilst 2 patients stayed in the hospital for 20 and 25 days, respectively, due to problems not related to EDH. One patient in whom conservative treatment had to be changed to surgical evacuation after 6 days of observation because of worsening headache, impaired alertness repeated imaging showed slight increase in EDH.ConclusionsEDH can be managed conservatively in carefully selected patients of minor head injury with radiological surveillance and close neurological monitoring. Patients with GCS on admission more than 13, midline shift of less than 5 mm, location and volume of EDH less than 30 ml. Thus, leading to optimal utilisation of hospital resources. So, we conclude that even a dreaded entity like extradural haemorrhage can be managed conservatively in selected cases with strict clinical and radiological surveillance. We have called them ‘’Benign extradural haemorrhages’’.

Severe Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Are There Significant Differences Between Hospitalized and Emergency Department Patients?

Current guidelines define a severe acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) as an increase in symptoms requiring hospital admission or emergency department (ED) visit. Little is known about whether or not subjects requiring hospitalization and those needing only ED care have similar patient profiles and if their clinical outcomes appear comparable. The main goals of this study were to compare the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients treated for an AECOPD with an inpatient admission versus an ED visit and to review if hospital resource utilization was different between the 2 groups after discharge. Subjects treated in 2022 at Montfort Hospital for an AECOPD were reviewed. Patient demographic information was collected in addition to spirometry results and blood eosinophil counts on file. Supplemental oxygen use and medication lists were also recorded. Patients with an initial hospital admission were compared to those requiring only ED care with univariate and multivariate analyses. We also assessed if subjects were again treated for an AECOPD up to 6 months post initial discharge, and if so, the type of hospital visits (hospitalization or ED). A total of 135 individuals necessitated hospitalization and 79 received ED care for the treatment of an AECOPD. On univariate analysis, patients requiring an inpatient stay appeared older and were more likely to have spirometry results on file. A greater proportion of hospitalized individuals were on supplemental oxygen and prescribed at least one long-acting inhaled medication. These studied variables remained significant after multivariate logistic regression analysis. Subjects with an initial inpatient admission were also more likely to require hospitalization upon repeat presentation for a severe AECOPD. Given the important differences observed in both patient characteristics and hospital resource utilization, this study supports considering an AECOPD requiring inpatient admission versus an ED visit as distinct categories of events.

Timely Albumin Infusion May Improve Resource Utilization in Patients with Cirrhosis and Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis.

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is a life-threatening complication of cirrhosis that can increase healthcare utilization. The impact of albumin administration timing on hospital resource utilization and its optimal timing is unclear, despite its efficacy in improving survival for cirrhosis patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the influence of the timing of albumin administration on the length of stay and total hospital cost for patients with cirrhosis and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis who require fluid resuscitation. The study utilized de-identified data from Cerner Health Facts® data. Adult inpatients with a diagnosis of cirrhosis and SBP receiving ≥1 antibiotic and fluid resuscitation between January 1, 2009, and April 30, 2018, were included and stratified by albumin administration timing: ≤24 hours from hospital admission ("timely albumin") or >24 hours of admission or no albumin ("non-timely albumin"). We used a Kaplan-Meier curve with log-rank test to evaluate the association between timing of albumin administration and time to hospital discharge and a generalized linear model to examine the association between albumin timing and total hospital costs. We identified 1,308 hospitalizations, of which 301 contained valid cost data. The timely albumin group had a median time to discharge of 6.95 days compared to 7.78 days in the non-timely group (p = 0.02). Cost model showed that receiving timely albumin incurred 16% lower costs (p = 0.027) than patients in the non-timely albumin group. Timely albumin administration with an antibiotic regimen may shorten the length of stay and lower costs, thereby reducing hospital resource utilization in patients with cirrhosis and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis requiring fluid resuscitation.

Association Between Persistence with Oral Atypical Antipsychotic Medications and Hospital and Emergency Department Utilization in Medicaid Patients with Schizophrenia.

To examine 1-year persistence with oral atypical antipsychotics (OAAPs) for Medicaid patients with schizophrenia and assess the association between OAAP persistence and hospital and emergency department (ED) resource utilization. Using 2016-2020 multi-state Medicaid claims data, this retrospective study followed patients diagnosed with schizophrenia for 12 months after initiating OAAP therapy. Patients started on an OAAP with no evidence of antipsychotic use in the previous 6 months were included if they had a diagnosis of schizophrenia, were not dually enrolled in Medicaid and Medicare, did not switch to a long-acting injectable antipsychotic, and were continuously eligible 6 months before and 12 months after the initial OAAP prescription (index date). OAAP persistence was measured allowing for a <60-day gap. All-cause and schizophrenia-related inpatient and emergency department (ED) resource utilization during the follow-up period were compared between OAAP persistent and non-persistent groups. The study sample of 13,007 had an average age of 39.1 years and 57.0% were male. Patients were persistent with their index OAAP for 135 days on average and 73.1% had a ≥60-day gap in antipsychotic therapy post-index. While 32.8% and 28.6% of patients who did not persist with their index OAAP restarted the index OAAP or switched to a different OAAP medication later in the year, respectively, a larger proportion (38.6%) had no further OAAP prescriptions. After adjustment for demographic and clinical variables, compared to non-persistent patients, persisting with OAAPs was significantly associated with fewer all-cause and schizophrenia-related hospitalizations (Incidence Rate Ratio [IRR]=0.742, p<0.001; IRR=0.823, p<0.001; respectively) and ED visits (IRR=0.759, p<0.001; IRR=0.773, p<0.001; respectively). Non-persistence with OAAP medication is common among patients with schizophrenia and associated with negative outcomes including increased utilization of hospital and ED resources. Patient-centered interventions that improve antipsychotic persistence should be implemented to facilitate optimal outcomes in this population.

LoSNet: A Tailored Deep Neural Network Framework for Precise Length of Stay Prediction in Disease-Specific Hospitalization

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare sector faced unprecedented challenges in effectively managing hospital resources. A crucial aspect of resource planning and allocation is the ability to predict the expected length of a patient’s stay. Detecting whether a patient requires extended hospitalization or a shorter stay becomes vital for efficient hospital resource allocation and utilization. This paper aims to build a deep learning-based analytical model named LoSNet that predicts the length of stay for each patient at the time of admission to the Hospital. The early prediction of the length of stay requirement would aid healthcare professionals in optimizing the utility of hospital beds and other resources. In this direction, this paper compares the prediction ability of various machine-learning models including Random Forest, Decision Tree, Logistic Regression, and Naïve Bayes with a customized deep neural network model. The dataset used for this analysis includes ground truth on 3,18,438 patients’ length of stay categorized into eleven classes such as 0-10 days being one class, 11-20 days being another class, and so on to more than 100 days. The methodology employed in this study involves data collection, data transformation, and training LoSNet, a deep neural network with no attention mechanisms. The results indicate impressive performance over other models and a random classifier, with a cross-entropy loss of 1.531 and an accuracy of 0.408 in predicting hospitalization durations in an 11-class classification setup, highlighting the framework’s effectiveness in healthcare management.

Cancellation of the more complicated ophthalmic inpatient surgeries in a tertiary general hospital: a 10-year retrospective study.

Although ophthalmic ambulatory surgeries are less costly and may enhance the more efficient utilization of hospital resources, inpatient surgeries were preferable alternatives for patients with complicated eye diseases or poor general health. However, the incidence, causes, and related factors of ophthalmic inpatient surgery cancellation remained largely unknown. The electronic medical records of ophthalmic inpatient surgeries between January 2012 and December 2022 was retrospectively reviewed. Cancellation-related factors were explored using multivariate logistic regression analysis and the reasons of cancellation were also evaluated. In total, 820 cancelled surgeries and 42,073 performed surgeries were included, with a cancellation rate of 1.9%. Any other ocular comorbidities were risk factors for cancellation (odds ratio (OR) 1.872, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.504-2.331; p < 0.001), while older age (OR 0.990, 95% CI 0.986-0.995; p < 0.001), local residence (OR 0.809, 95% CI 0.692-0.947; p = 0.008), any systemic comorbidities (OR 0.740, 95% CI 0.616-0.889; p = 0.001), and previous history of surgeries (OR 0.403, 95% CI 0.341-0.476; p < 0.001) were negatively associated with surgery cancellation. The top two categorical cancellation reasons were medical factors (508, 62.0%) and patient-related factors (285, 34.8%). "Patient/family refused surgery" (127, 15.5%), "acute conjunctivitis or uveitis relapse" (103, 12.6%), and "ocular condition improved and procedure no longer indicated" (71, 8.7%) were the three most common single cancellation reasons. Any other ocular comorbidities, younger age, no systemic comorbidities, non-local residence, and no past surgical history were related factors for ophthalmic inpatient surgery cancellation. The majority of cancellations were due to patient-related or medical factors. Great importance should be attached to the cancellation of the more complicated inpatient surgeries and further efforts are warranted to explore how to reduce cancellation.

Impact on Inpatient Length of Stay in Adults with Deep Partial-Thickness Burns: Comparing the Bioengineered Allogeneic Cellularized Construct Expanded-Access Trial with National Burn Repository Data.

To investigate the effect of StrataGraft (bioengineered allogeneic cellularized construct [BACC]) treatment on inpatient length of stay (LOS) as an indicator of hospital resource utilization. Data from the single-arm StrataCAT trial for adult patients with deep partial-thickness (DPT) burns who received BACC were compared with data from a matched external control arm comprising patients who received autografting for burn treatment from the National Burn Repository (NBR) during the same time period as StrataCAT. A matching, quasi-experimental approach was used to investigate the cause-and-effect relationship between BACC treatment and LOS (days). Matching factors included sex, age, ethnicity, race, burn causes, %TBSA burned (third-degree), %TBSA burned (second- and third-degrees), inhalation injury, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. Balance was assessed between the cohorts for each confounder by standardized mean differences (SMD). Outcome was reported as average treatment effect on the treated. The BACC and NBR Autograft cohorts included 47 and 2641 patients, respectively. Following matching, the Autograft cohort had 137 patients and was weighted to 47 patients. Patients in the BACC and final (matched) Autograft cohorts were similar in all demographic and clinical covariate categories after matching (ie, the absolute SMD were < 0.1). Treatment with BACC reduced the inpatient LOS by an average of 4.84 days (P = 0.0127) relative to the comparable (matched) Autograft cohort. An ad hoc analysis revealed that mean [SD] LOS for BACC and the weighted Autograft cohorts were 17.68 [12.75] and 22.51 [19.75] days, respectively, and were 1.39 [0.94] and 1.88 [1.31] days per %TBSA burned, respectively. The significantly reduced inpatient LOS observed with BACC compared to Autograft in adults with DPT burns may translate into reduced burden on the healthcare system, reduced costs for inpatient burn treatment, and clinical benefits for patients.

Hospital services utilisation and cost before and after COVID-19 hospital treatment: Evidence from Indonesia.

To estimate hospital services utilisation and cost among the Indonesian population enrolled in the National Health Insurance (NHI) program before and after COVID-19 hospital treatment. 28,159 Indonesian NHI enrolees treated with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in hospitals between May and August 2020 were compared to 8,995 individuals never diagnosed with COVID-19 in 2020. A difference-in-difference approach is used to contrast the monthly all-cause utilisation rate and total claims of hospital services between these two groups. A period of nine months before and three to six months after hospital treatment were included in the analysis. A substantial short-term increase in hospital services utilisation and cost before and after COVID-19 treatment was observed. Using the fifth month before treatment as the reference period, we observed an increased outpatient visits rate in 1-3 calendar months before and up to 2-4 months after treatment (p<0.001) among the COVID-19 group compared to the comparison group. We also found a higher admissions rate in 1-2 months before and one month after treatment (p<0.001). Consequently, increased hospital costs were observed in 1-3 calendar months before and 1-4 calendar months after the treatment (p<0.001). The elevated hospital resource utilisation was more prominent among individuals older than 40. Overall, no substantial increase in hospital outpatient visits, admissions, and costs beyond four months after and five months before COVID-19 treatment. Individuals with COVID-19 who required hospital treatment had considerably higher healthcare resource utilisation in the short-term, before and after the treatment. These findings indicated that the total cost of treating COVID-19 patients might include the pre- and post-acute period.

Interprofessional Collaboration to Support Person-centered Care: Implementation of an Integrated Surgical Pathway for Complex Foot and Ankle Patients

Introduction: Traditionally foot and ankle patients have high medical and social complexities that require additional support and care navigation following surgery to improve transitions out of hospital into the community for recovery at home. We explored implementation of an integrated surgical pathway that included an interprofessional, centralized intake model for surgical consult, pre-operative mobility assessment to assess post-operative supports and potential barriers to successful discharge home, and creation of a partnership with transitional care, while providing person-centered care to improve patient experience and surgical recovery. &#x0D; Aims, Objectives and Methodology: Our objective was to develop and implement an integrated surgical pathway for complex foot and ankle patients to support seamless transitions in care from acute to recovery at home following surgery. &#x0D; A working group was formed with members spanning operational and clinical roles across the care continuum including: physiotherapist practitioner, surgeon administrative support, clinical managers, inpatient physiotherapists, social work, nurse practitioners and transitional care program managers. A 2-hour process mapping session was conducted outlining the current state surgical pathway and potential barriers to successful discharge were identified. Standard care path guidelines were developed with decision tree clinical resources to assist the care team in facilitating referrals to transitional care pre-operatively to ensure seamless transition for the patient after surgery. &#x0D; Highlights and Key Findings: The patient population supported by this integrated pathway were those with complex foot and ankle surgical procedures including: ankle and midfoot fusion, ligament reconstruction, ankle osteotomy, total ankle replacement and triple arthrodesis. Fairly equal distribution was seen between male and female (48% and 52% respectively), and the average age was 54 years. The addition of an interprofessional consult offered more robust patient education, pre and post surgical planning and expectation setting. A pre-op mobility assessment optimized post-operative care coordination. This was illustrated by a reduction in the acute length of stay from an average of 8.2 days in 19/20 to 3.4 days in 20/21. From 2018 to 2022 the discharge disposition of this patient cohort remained consistent with the majority of patients (66%) supported to return home with outpatient physiotherapy, 24% of patients were discharged home with homecare services coordinated and a small proportion (&lt;10%) were transferred to a transitional care, inpatient or residential care facility. Qualitative report from patient's revealed that supports provided eased anxiety and improved post-operative transitions home for recovery.&#x0D; Conclusions: Implementation of an integrated surgical pathway for complex foot and ankle patients that maximize pre-operative care planning and leveraging existing community partnerships, both in-home and institutional; enable the delivery of person-centred care, facilitating seamless transitions from acute care to community for patients while optimizing hospital resource utilization.&#x0D; Implications for applicability/transferability, sustainability and limitations: Expansion of collaborative integrated models that support additional orthopedic surgical patient populations from hospital to recovery within the community are critical in providing person-centered care. Sustainability of these models will rely on securing the resources required for pre-surgical patient education, expectation setting and care and resource planning for seamless post-operative transitions. &#x0D;

One-Year Medication Treatment Patterns, Healthcare Resource Utilization, and Expenditures for Medicaid Patients with Schizophrenia Starting Oral Atypical Antipsychotic Medication

Oral atypical antipsychotic (OAAP) medications are the most commonly prescribed treatment for the management of schizophrenia symptoms. This retrospective study, using Medicaid claims data (2016–2020), followed patients for 12 months after initiating OAAP therapy. Study outcomes included OAAP adherence, switching, augmentation, healthcare resource utilization (HRU), and expenditures. All-cause and schizophrenia-related HRU and expenditures were compared between adherent and nonadherent cohorts. Among 13,007 included patients (39.1 ± 12.8 years of age, 57.0% male, 36.1% Black, 31.8% White, 9.7% Hispanic), 25.7% were adherent to OAAPs (proportion of days covered [PDC] ≥ 0.8). During the 1-year follow-up period, Black individuals were in possession of an OAAP for an average of 166 days compared to 198 and 202 days for White and Hispanic patients, respectively. Approximately 16% of patients switched OAAP medications and 3.2% augmented therapy with an OAAP added to their index medication. Nearly 40% of patients were hospitalized during follow-up and 68.4% had emergency department (ED) visits. A greater proportion of nonadherent patients had all-cause inpatient (41.7% vs. 34.1%, p < 0.001) and ED visits (71.7% vs. 58.8%, p < 0.001) compared to adherent patients. Annual total healthcare expenditures were $21,020 per patient; $3481 higher for adherent versus nonadherent patients. Inpatient expenditures comprised 44.6% and 30.6% of total expenditures for nonadherent and adherent patients, respectively. Hospitalized patients’ total expenditures were $23,261 higher compared to those without a hospitalization. Adherence to OAAP medication is suboptimal and associated with increased utilization of costly hospital and ED resources. Efforts to improve therapies and increase medication adherence could improve clinical and economic outcomes among individuals with schizophrenia.

Risk Prediction of Emergency Department Visits in Patients With Lung Cancer Using Machine Learning: Retrospective Observational Study.

Patients with lung cancer are among the most frequent visitors to emergency departments due to cancer-related problems, and the prognosis for those who seek emergency care is dismal. Given that patients with lung cancer frequently visit health care facilities for treatment or follow-up, the ability to predict emergency department visits based on clinical information gleaned from their routine visits would enhance hospital resource utilization and patient outcomes. This study proposed a machine learning-based prediction model to identify risk factors for emergency department visits by patients with lung cancer. This was a retrospective observational study of patients with lung cancer diagnosed at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, a tertiary general hospital in South Korea, between January 2010 and December 2017. The primary outcome was an emergency department visit within 30 days of an outpatient visit. This study developed a machine learning-based prediction model using a common data model. In addition, the importance of features that influenced the decision-making of the model output was analyzed to identify significant clinical factors. The model with the best performance demonstrated an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.73 in its ability to predict the attendance of patients with lung cancer in emergency departments. The frequency of recent visits to the emergency department and several laboratory test results that are typically collected during cancer treatment follow-up visits were revealed as influencing factors for the model output. This study developed a machine learning-based risk prediction model using a common data model and identified influencing factors for emergency department visits by patients with lung cancer. The predictive model contributes to the efficiency of resource utilization and health care service quality by facilitating the identification and early intervention of high-risk patients. This study demonstrated the possibility of collaborative research among different institutions using the common data model for precision medicine in lung cancer.

Outcomes and Hospital Resource Utilization Associated with Decreased Ven Exposure in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients: A Real-World Retrospective Review

Patients (pts) with acute myeloid leukemia who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy are treated with hypomethylating agent (HMA) and Venetoclax (Ven). We previously reported outcomes on a cohort of our pts hospitalized for induction therapy demonstrating that the majority of pts required Ven exposure de-escalation. Despite its widely accepted clinical practice, no prospective study has evaluated the efficacy in retaining remission or the tolerability of less Ven exposure per cycle (cyc). Additionally, there is no study evaluating the effect of delaying treatment secondary to its myelosuppressive toxicities. We aim to present outcome data on a large cohort of all AML pts treated with HMA + Ven within our healthcare system. We queried Northwell Cancer Institute's electronic health records to identify all pts with AML who received at least one cyc of Ven and HMA between January 2019 and December 2022. Groups for analysis were created for pts who received at least 3 cyc of HMA and Ven based on the median Ven exposure days per cyc (≤ 14 days or ≥ 15 days) and the median days between cyc (≤ 34 or ≥ 35 days) excluding cyc 1 and 2. Median relapse-free survival (mRFS) and median event-free survival (mEFS) in months (m) were defined by ELN 2022 criteria. Pts who received allogeneic transplants (n=4) were excluded from survival evaluations. Kaplan-Meier (KM) method and log rank testing was used to compare time to event data. We identified 142 AML pts who received at least 1 cyc of Ven + HMA. Pts had an ORR of 42%, mEFS of 4m and mOS of 9.6m. The median age was 77. Only 76 pts received 3 or more cyc of HMA + Ven with mRFS 11.6m of and mOS of 20.6m. Of these pts, 39 had AML with myelodysplastic changes, 29 had De Novo AML and 8 had secondary AML. 75% of pts received HMA + Ven as first line treatment. Utilizing the 2022 ELN risk categories (Dohner et al, Blood 2022), 12 had favorable risk, 12 had intermediate risk and 52 had adverse risk. 93% had treatment regimen modifications by either reduced Ven/cyc or increased cyc intervals. All prognostic indicators appeared evenly dispersed among the groups. Pts with ≤14 days of Ven/cyc (n=35) had a median of 7 cyc (range 3-24) and remained on treatment for a median of 11.3 m. Meanwhile, pts with ≥15 days/cyc (n=41) had a median of 5 cyc (range 3-24) with a median of 10.1m on treatment. The ≤14 days of Ven/cyc group had significantly improved RFS (15.8m vs 8.7m) and OS (24.7m vs 11.3m) compared to the group of pts receiving ≥15 days/cyc (p &amp;lt;0.01). Additionally, there was a decrease in number of hospital days, RBC and platelet transfusions in this group compared to the ≥15 days/cyc group (figure 2). 66% of pts (n=50) required increased time interval between cycles. Both ≤ 34 and ≥ 35 days cyc interval groups completed median of 6 cyc. No significant difference was found in mRFS (11.6m vs 11.8m) or mOS (15.1m vs 21.8m). However, there was a reduction in hospital days, pRBC and platelet transfusions in the ≥ 35 day interval group (figure 2). The overall response rate, mRFS and mOS of all 144 patients seem to be decreased compared to reported prospective trials. This may be due to differences in frailty in our pt population. Although limited by the bias of retrospective analyses, our evaluation of pts outcomes demonstrates a statistically and clinically significant improvement in mRFS and mOS in pts with decreased Ven days/cycle. The majority of pts had Ven/cycle decreased by cycle 3 and most were intermediate or high risk. Our results also highlight the decrease in hospital resource utilization and transfusion needs in this group which may lead to improved quality of life and decreased costs. The ≤14days Ven/cycle group had improved survival compared to the VIALE-A and DEC10-VEN trial despite a larger proportion of our pts having adverse risk. We hypothesize that this improvement is likely multifactorial secondary to decreased mortality from higher Ven exposure, improved tolerance causing increased HMA exposure from timely dosage and from a theoretically possible decreased intracellular adaptive mechanisms generating resistance from continuous Bcl-2 inhibition. This emphasizes the need for continued reporting of outcomes of therapy with HMA/Ven. Additionally, due to the clinically significant improvement in mRFS and mOS, a prospective trial evaluating the efficacy, tolerability, and impact on quality of life of reduced Ven exposure/cyc should be considered.

Outcomes and Incidence of Thrombotic Events in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer: Insights from the National Inpatient Database from 2016 to 2020

Introduction: Pancreatic cancer represents the seventh cause of mortality in cancer-related deaths, and despite efforts to improve this, survival rates have not decreased. Additionally, in the last decade, there has been an increase in its incidence, and there is a rising concern regarding earlier age of onset. Its clinical presentation at earlier stages varies from asymptomatic to vague abdominal pain, jaundice, and thrombotic events. Regarding thromboembolic events, pancreatic cancer is one of the most common malignancies associated with a hypercoagulable state, reported in around 12-36% of the cases. One of the hypotheses proposed is based on the elevated expression of tissue factor and activation of extracellular tramps. We aimed to study the prevalence, trends, and outcomes of thrombotic events in patients admitted with pancreatic cancer over six years. Methods: We quired the National Inpatient Sample Database from 2016-2020 by identifying hospitalization with corresponding international disease classification ICD-10 for pancreatic cancer and further stratifying the cohort into those with pulmonary embolism (PE), deep venous thrombosis (DVT), portal vein thrombosis (PVT), and mesenteric ischemia. We also analyzed the hospital resource utilization by examining the length of stay (LOS), and total hospital Charge (TOTCHG) Results: Univariate analysis revealed a significant correlation between acute pancreatic cancer and the incidence of all thromboembolic events with an odds ratio (OR) of 7.13 (95% CI: 6.99-7.27, P &amp;lt; 0.01). For specific events, the OR was 6.11 (95% CI: 5.93-6.30, P &amp;lt; 0.01) for PE, 5.97 (95% CI: 5.82-6.12, P &amp;lt; 0.01) for DVT, and a notably high 28.53 (95% CI: 27.44-29.67, P &amp;lt; 0.01) for PVT. After adjusting for potential confounding factors in the multivariate analysis, the odds ratios reduced but remained significant: 4.15 (95% CI: 1.53-1.98, P &amp;lt; 0.01) for all thromboembolic events, 4.19 (95% CI: 1.21-1.45, P &amp;lt; 0.01) for PE, 3.40 (95% CI: 1.12-1.48, P &amp;lt; 0.01) for DVT, and 12.40 (95% CI: 2.16-3.49, P &amp;lt; 0.01) for PVT. Regarding clinical outcomes such as mortality and acute kidney injury (AKI), thromboembolic events like PE, DVT, PVT, and mesenteric ischemia are significantly associated with increased mortality and AKI. For example, PE had an OR of 1.75 (95% CI: 1.54-1.99, P &amp;lt; 0.01) for mortality and 0.82 (95% CI: 0.74-0.91, P &amp;lt; 0.01) for AKI. The study also evaluated the impact of these thromboembolic events on hospital resource utilization. PE, for instance, was associated with an increase in the length of stay (LOS) by 0.55 days (95% CI: 0.28-0.82, P &amp;lt; 0.01) and additional costs of $6272.16 (95% CI: $2985.40-$9558.93, P &amp;lt; 0.01) Conclusion: Thromboembolic events in patients with pancreatic cancer have increased mortality rates and hospital costs. It is essential to quantify and better understand this association to formulate adequate strategies to improve early diagnosis and survival. Further studies are needed to better characterize ways to prevent thromboembolic events cost-effectively in an attempt to improve mortality rates in this patient population.