Inpatient Length Research Articles

2650. Characteristics of In-Hospital Care and Immediate Post-Discharge Care Status among Older Adults Hospitalized with Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection, Seasonal Influenza, Acute Myocardial Infarction, and Stroke in the US

Abstract Background Despite increased recognition of the morbidity, mortality, and economic burden of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults, few studies have documented the status of post-discharge care after RSV hospitalization. This study assessed in-hospital and immediate post-discharge care status in older adults hospitalized with RSV in the US and compared it with other serious medical conditions (influenza, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and stroke) that have long-standing disease prevention efforts. Methods This retrospective cohort study used data from Premier Healthcare Database between January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2019. Adults aged ≥ 65 years hospitalized due to primary diagnosis of RSV, influenza, AMI, or stroke were included. Discharge statuses were used to categorize the levels of immediate post-discharge care as shown in Figure 1. Descriptive statistics and Sankey diagrams were used to summarize the four cohorts. Results Overall, 2,559 RSV, 174,826 influenza, 208,448 AMI, and 274,102 stroke hospitalizations were identified with similar mean patient ages of 79.8, 76.8, 76.3, and 78.0 years, respectively. Almost all patients ( > 90%) had underlying comorbidities. The mean inpatient length of stay (LOS) was similar in the four cohorts (4.0, 4.4, 3.7, and 4.1 days, respectively), but the prevalence of mechanical ventilator use varied, i.e., 0.4%, 13.7%, 5.9%, and 1.4%, respectively. Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admissions during RSV hospitalizations were infrequent (3.0%) as compared to influenza (16.8%), AMI (24.5%), and stroke (20.5%). The mean ICU LOS for these four cohorts were 2.3, 2.8, 1.7, and 1.7 days in the same order. Immediately following discharge, moderate care was required for 23.9%, 22.9%, 14.1%, and 17.5% of RSV, influenza, AMI, and stroke hospitalizations, respectively. Elevated care was considerably more frequent for stroke hospitalizations (48.1%) than RSV (18.8%), influenza (21.4%), and AMI (19.3%) hospitalizations (Figure 2). Conclusion Older adults discharged from RSV hospitalizations require considerable care with needs comparable to influenza and AMI discharges. Given the substantial care requirements of RSV hospitalizations in older adults, focus on disease prevention efforts for RSV are needed. Disclosures Reiko Sato, PhD, Pfizer Inc: employee|Pfizer Inc: Stocks/Bonds Jennifer Judy, MS, PhD, Pfizer: Stocks/Bonds Kari Yacisin, M.D., Pfizer: Employee|Pfizer: Stocks/Bonds Elizabeth Begier, M.D., M.P.H., Pfizer: EB is an employee of Pfizer, the sponsor of this study|Pfizer: Stocks/Bonds Poorva Sardana, MSc, Pfizer Inc: Contracted Research Neha Agrawal, MA, Pfizer Inc: Contracted Research Anchita Goswami, MSc, Pfizer Inc: Contracted Research Manvi Sharma, RPh, MBA, PhD, Pfizer Inc: Contracted Research

The Effect of Implementing a Standardized Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Pain Management Pathway at an Urban Medical Center in Hawaii.

Traditional use of opioids to treat postoperative pain may lead to abuse and overdose. The development of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols has helped to shift pain management from traditional methods to evidence-based best practices involving multimodal analgesia techniques. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement and determine the effectiveness of a standardized, evidence-based ERAS pain management pathway for patients undergoing colorectal or gynecology procedures at a medical center in Hawaii. After the intervention, the evaluation of data associated with opioid use, patients' pain scores, time spent in the postanesthesia care unit, and inpatient length of stay showed that most results were not significant. However, the ERAS pain management pathway did reduce clinical practice variations, intraoperative opioid administration, the time that patients spent in the postanesthesia care unit, and length of stay. The ERAS pain management pathway continues to be used and updated at this facility.

Health Care Resource Utilization and Total Costs of Care for Adult Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in the United States: A Retrospective Claims Analysis

PurposeAlthough immunotherapies such as blinatumomab and inotuzumab have led to improved outcomes, financial burden and health resource utilization (HRU) have increased for adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (R/R B-ALL). This study assessed real-world HRU and costs of care among adult patients with R/R B-ALL by line of therapy (LoT) in the United States. MethodsWe selected patients from the MarketScanⓇ Database (January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2020) as follows: ≥1 claims of ALL-indicated first-line (1L) therapies, ≥1 diagnosis of ALL before the index date (1L initiation date), 6-month continuous enrollment before the index date, second-line (2L) therapy initiation, ≥18 years old at 2L, no clinical trial enrollment, no diagnosis of other forms of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and no claim for daratumumab or nelarabine during the study period. Outcome measures included claim-based time to next treatment (TTNT), all-cause and adverse event (AE)–related HRU, and all-cause and AE-related costs. FindingsThe R/R B-ALL cohort (N = 203) was 60% male, median age of 41 years, and median Charlson Comorbidity Index score of 3.0. Mean (SD) follow-up was 17.8 (11.8) months. Of those who received 2L, 55.7% (113/203) required 3L, and 15% (30/203) initiated 4L+. Patients relapsed quickly, with a median TTNT of 170 days, 169 days, and 205 days for 2L, 3L, and 4L+, respectively. Hospitalization rates were high across each LoT (2L, 88%; 3L, 73%; 4L+, 73%), and the mean (SD) inpatient length of stay increased by LoT as follows: 8.6 (6.8) days for 2L, 10.6 (13.3) for 3L, and 11.6 (13.6) for 4L+. Mean (SD) overall costs were substantial within each LoT at $513,279 ($599,209), $340,419 ($333,555), and $390,327 ($332,068) for 2L, 3L, and 4L+, respectively. The mean (SD) overall/per-patient-per-month AE-related costs were $358,676 ($497,998) for 2L, $202,621 ($272,788) for 3L, and $210,539 ($267,814) for 4L+. Among those receiving blinatumomab or inotuzumab within each LoT, the mean (SD) total costs were $566,373 ($621,179), $498,070 ($376,260), and $512,908 ($159,525) for 2L, 3L, and 4L+, respectively. ImplicationsThese findings suggest that adult patients with R/R B-ALL relapse frequently with standard of care and incur a substantial HRU and cost burden with each LoT. Those treated with blinatumomab or inotuzumab incurred higher total costs within each LoT compared with the overall R/R B-ALL cohort. Alternative therapies with longer duration of remission are urgently needed, and HRU should be considered for future studies examining the optimal sequencing of therapy.

Abstract 11897: Admission Rates for Pediatric Supraventricular Tachycardia From the Emergency Department Are Affected by Primary Insurance Payor: An Analysis of the NEDS Database

Introduction: Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is the most common arrhythmia in children and often requires emergency department (ED) care. Recent data highlight disparities in access to care for pediatric patients with SVT, though the association of socioeconomic factors with ED outcomes remains unclear. Hypothesis: Outcomes of ED encounters for pediatric SVT will differ by insurance payor. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study utilizing encounter-level data from the 2006-2018 US Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS). All encounters for patients age 0-18 years with a primary diagnosis of SVT were evaluated, excluding those with diagnoses of congenital heart disease or cardiomyopathy. The primary exposure was insurance payor: private vs. public. The primary outcome was hospital admission/transfer. Secondary outcomes included inpatient length of stay (LOS), procedures (cardioversion, catheter ablation), and mortality. Logistic regression models evaluated the association of payor with outcomes, including the following covariates: age, hospital teaching status, hospital region, patient residence, and patient income. Results: A total of 38,896 ED encounters were analyzed: median age 11.5 years (IQR 6-15); 48% male; 53% private payor, 38% public payor. Encounters with public payor had a higher rate of admit/transfer than private (24% vs. 18%, p<0.0001). There were no differences in LOS (2.5 days public vs. 1.8 days private, p= 0.6) or procedures by payor; there were no mortalities. In multivariate analysis, public payor was an independent predictor of admission/transfer (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.2). Patient age was also associated with admission/transfer, with all age groups less likely to undergo admission/transfer compared to age < 1 year: age 1-4, OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.2-0.6; age 5-8, OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.1-0.2; age 9-12, OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.1-0.2; age 13-18, OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.1-0.2. Conclusions: This analysis demonstrates that public payor is associated with higher rates of hospital admission/transfer for pediatric SVT, independent of age. Though we cannot evaluate why publicly insured patients are admitted more often, it may be due to more severe illness caused by delays in care for SVT. If so, this should be a target for intervention.

Abstract 18981: Regional Variation in Inpatient Hospital Resources Utilized in Cardiac Surgery Performed in Children

Introduction: Care for congenital heart disease is highly resource-intensive due to its complexity, and due to patients’ need for surgery and other inpatient care. Understanding regional variation in resource utilization for cardiac surgical care can promote collaborative learning opportunities that could help optimize resources for patient-centered care. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis used the nationally representative 2012 Kids’ Inpatient Database, managed by the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification procedure codes, we identified hospital discharges of cardiac surgery patients under 18 years of age. We excluded patients undergoing cardiac transplantation and newborns under 31 days of age who only underwent ligation of isolated patent ductus arteriosus. Included cases were aggregated based on the nine US geographic divisions used by the US Census Bureau. Regional variation in observed inpatient billed charges, estimated hospital costs based on cost-to-charge ratios and inpatient length of stay (LOS) were analyzed. The log transformed outcomes were compared unadjusted, and after adjusting for RACHS-1 inpatient surgical mortality risk, admission type, expected primary payer and coded complications (as appropriate). Results: Among 15,350 analyzed discharges, the mean nationwide adjusted in-hospital mortality was 3%. It was highest in East South Central (5%). However, the differences among divisions were not significant for all RACHS-1 categories. Mean adjusted complications frequencies ranged from 21 to 32%.LOS showed only minor variations across divisions. Median billed hospital charges ranged from $93,869 to $226,061. For all RACHS-1 categories, New England (lowest) and East North Central had significantly lower charges than did the Mid-Atlantic division. Estimated costs were significantly lower than charges, ranging from $44,402 to $66,726 across all divisions. Costs were lowest in the Mid-Atlantic division. Conclusions: There is regional variation in resource utilization in cardiac surgical care for CHD with no observed correlation with LOS, case mix or complications.

Congenital duodenal obstruction repair with and without transanastomotic tube feeding: a systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectiveTo determine the impact of transanastomotic tube (TAT) feeding in congenital duodenal obstruction (CDO).DesignSystematic review with meta-analysis.PatientsInfants with CDO requiring surgical repair.InterventionsTAT feeding following CDO repair versus no TAT feeding.Main...

Acute oncology care at home for post-chemotherapy monitoring in patients with multiple myeloma.

58 Background: Hospitalization at Home (HaH) has demonstrated clinical efficacy and improved patient experience in general medicine inpatients. Mount Sinai Health System (MSHS) HaH enrolls oncology patients with active disease admitted for acute general medical conditions and for active chemotherapy. We performed a case-control study of our institution’s experience with HaH in multiple myeloma (MM) patients admitted for elective chemotherapy. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of MM patients who received inpatient chemotherapy with dexamethasone, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, and cisplatin with or without bortezomib ((V)-DCEP) and then enrolled in HaH from September 2020 to May 2023. HaH eligibility required meeting established institutional HaH admission criteria, including geographical limitations. The control group were randomly selected MM patients admitted for (V)-DCEP who lived in a zip-code excluded from HaH’s catchment zone. Demographics, social situation, indication for inpatient stay, and HaH admission were extracted from the electronic health record. Primary endpoint was 30-day readmission from final place of discharge. A key secondary endpoint was rate of successful HaH admission, defined as discharge from HaH for complete recovery from the acute condition. Results: Twenty-two patients with MM, with 24 episodes of care, enrolled on HaH for post-chemotherapy monitoring. Our control cohort had 32 patients with 32 episodes of care. In the HaH population, the median age was 57, 73% (n = 16) male, 23% (n = 5) White, 41% (n = 9) Black, 14% (n = 3) Asian, 18% (n = 4) Hispanic, and 55% (n = 12) had either Medicaid or were dual Medicare/Medicaid eligible. In the HaH ineligible group, the median age was 67.5, 63% (n = 20) male, 56% (n = 18) White, 13% (n = 4) Black, 6% (n = 2) Asian, 19% (n = 6) Hispanic, and 32% had either Medicaid or were dual Medicare/Medicaid eligible. In the HaH population, the median inpatient length of stay was 6.5 days compared to 17.5 days in the HaH ineligible cohort (p < 0.001). Mean length of HaH stay was 8.83 days, which saved our health system 212 inpatient-bed days. In the HaH cohort, there were 33% (n= 8) 30-day readmissions, 38% (n = 3) of which were unplanned; similarly, in the HaH ineligible population, there were 38% (n = 12) 30-day readmissions, with 33% of these readmissions unplanned (p = 0.97). Successful HaH admissions occurred for 92% of care episodes. No significant adverse outcomes or issues related to the care delivery or social support. Conclusions: The MSHS HaH program demonstrated safety and feasibility in caring for oncology patients admitted for elective chemotherapy. Hospital readmission frequency was the same across both cohorts. We were able to successfully care for the majority of patients with MM and had significant inpatient bed day savings. HaH should be expanded to other groups of specialized patients, leveraging disease-specific clinical pathways.

Conceptualizing lifer versus destination patients for optimized care delivery

BackgroundPatients presenting to academic medical centers (AMC) typically receive primary care, specialty care, or both. Resources needed for each type of care vary, requiring different levels of care coordination. We propose a novel method to determine whether a patient primarily receives primary or specialty care to allow for optimization of care coordination.ObjectivesWe aimed to define the concepts of a Lifer Patient and Destination Patient and analyze the current state of care utilization in those groups to inform opportunities for improving care coordination.MethodsUsing AMC data for a 36-month study period (FY17-19), we evaluated the number of unique patients by residence zip code. Patients with at least one primary care visit and patients without a primary care visit were classified as Lifer and Destination patients, respectively. Cohen’s effect sizes were used to evaluate differences in mean utilization of different care delivery settings.ResultsThe AMC saw 35,909 Lifer patients and 744,037 Destination patients during the study period. Most patients were white, non-Hispanic females; however, the average age of a Lifer was seventy-two years whereas that of a Destination patient was thirty-eight. On average, a Lifer had three times more ambulatory care visits than a Destination patient. The proportion of Inpatient encounters is similar between the groups. Mean Inpatient length of stay (LOS) is similar between the groups, but Destination patients have more variance in LOS. The rate of admission from the emergency department (ED) for Destination patients is nearly double Lifers’.ConclusionThere were differences in ED, ambulatory care, and inpatient utilization between the Lifer and Destination patients. Furthermore, there were incongruities between rate of hospital admissions and LOS between two groups. The Lifer and Destination patient definitions allow for identification of opportunities to tailor care coordination to these unique groups and to allocate resources more efficiently.

Comparison of the cost analysis in total hip arthroplasty of anterior versus posterior approaches: A propensity score-matched cohort study in a single center

PurposeThe advantage of total hip arthroplasty (THA) in an anterior approach compared with a posterior approach in terms of early postoperative pain and function and lowering dislocation risks is controversial. This study aimed to identify whether THA using the anterior approach lowers costs compared with the posterior approach. MethodsWe identified 294 patients who underwent primary THA and compared the cost of total inpatient stay, inpatient length of stay (LOS), cost of operating room, and the rates of discharged patients, complications, and reoperation between the anterior and posterior approaches using propensity score matching analysis. ResultsOne-to-one matching resulted in 135 pairs of patients who underwent THA using both approaches. The cost of total inpatient stay was significantly lower in the anterior approach (anterior vs. posterior [1,322,800 vs. 1,445,219 yen]; p ​= ​0.04). Furthermore, in the anterior approach, the inpatient LOS was shorter (anterior vs. posterior [19.9 vs. 25.0 days]; p ​< ​0.001). However, there was no significant difference in the cost of the operating room and the rates of patients discharged home, total complications (anterior vs. posterior [5.2 vs. 11.1 ​%]; p ​= ​0.08), or revisions between the two approaches. ConclusionsUsing propensity score matching, the current study demonstrated that THA in the anterior approach shortened inpatient LOS and rendered an 8 ​% reduction in the total inpatient cost compared with the posterior approach.

A deep learning approach for inpatient length of stay and mortality prediction

PurposeAccurate prediction of the Length of Stay (LoS) and mortality in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is crucial for effective hospital management, and it can assist clinicians for real-time demand capacity (RTDC) administration, thereby improving healthcare quality and service levels. MethodsThis paper proposes a novel one-dimensional (1D) multi-scale convolutional neural network architecture, namely 1D-MSNet, to predict inpatients’ LoS and mortality in ICU. First, a 1D multi-scale convolution framework is proposed to enlarge the convolutional receptive fields and enhance the richness of the convolutional features. Following the convolutional layers, an atrous causal spatial pyramid pooling (SPP) module is incorporated into the networks to extract high-level features. The optimized Focal Loss (FL) function is combined with the synthetic minority over-sampling technique (SMOTE) to mitigate the imbalanced-class issue. ResultsOn the MIMIC-IV v1.0 benchmark dataset, the proposed approach achieves the optimum R-Square and RMSE values of 0.57 and 3.61 for the LoS prediction, and the highest test accuracy of 97.73% for the mortality prediction. ConclusionThe proposed approach presents a superior performance in comparison with other state-of-the-art, and it can effectively perform the LoS and mortality prediction tasks.

Intercostal Nerve Cryoablation Reduces Opioid Use and Length of Stay Without Increasing Adverse Events: A Retrospective Cohort Study of 5442 Patients Undergoing Surgical Correction of Pectus Excavatum.

To examine differences in opioid use, length of stay, and adverse events after minimally invasive correction of pectus excavatum (MIRPE) with and without intercostal nerve cryoablation. Small studies show that intraoperative intercostal nerve cryoablation provides effective analgesia with no large-scale evaluations of this technique. The pediatric health information system database was used to perform a retrospective cohort study comparing patients undergoing MIRPE at children's hospitals before and after the initiation of cryoablation. The association of cryoablation use with inpatient opioid use was determined using quantile regression with robust standard errors. Difference in risk-adjusted length of stay between the cohorts was estimated using negative binomial regression. Odds of adverse events between the two cohorts were compared using logistic regression with a generalized estimating equation. A total of 5442 patients underwent MIRPE at 44 children's hospitals between 2016 and 2022 with 1592 patients treated after cryoablation was introduced at their hospital. Cryoablation use was associated with a median decrease of 80.8 (95% CI: 68.6-93.0) total oral morphine equivalents as well as a decrease in estimated median length of stay from 3.5 [3.2-3.9] days to 2.5 [2.2-2.9] days ( P value: 0.016). Cryoablation use was not significantly associated with an increase in any studied adverse events. Introduction of cryoablation for perioperative analgesia was associated with decreased inpatient opioid use and length of stay in a large sample with no change in adverse events. This novel modality for perioperative analgesia offers a promising alternative to traditional pain management in thoracic surgery.

Is the increased use of intramedullary nailing over DHS for intertrochanteric hip fractures justified? – A review of the Irish hip fracture database 2016 –2020

PurposeIntertrochanteric hip fractures are significant and costly injuries and there remains controversy within the orthopaedic literature over the best method of fixation. The Irish Hip Fracture Database (IHFD) was established in 2012 to drive improvements in clinical outcomes and the quality of hip fracture care. This paper will review the outcomes of dynamic hip screw (DHS) versus intra-medullary nailing (IMN) in the treatment of intertrochanteric hip fractures in Ireland. MethodsEligible cases for this study include patients >60 years of age with trochanteric hip fractures treated by DHS or IMN between January 2016 and December 2020. Outcomes recorded and compared include length of stay, inpatient mortality, mobilisation on post-operative day 1 (POD 1), and discharge destination. Results5668 hip fractures treated with DHS or IMN were identified. There was no significant difference between inpatient mortality, re-operation rate or length of stay between the two groups. Females and patients with a high ASA grade (IV and V) were more likely to receive IMN. Patients receiving DHS were more likely to be mobilised day 1 post-operatively and be discharged directly home. It was noted that the use of IMN increased from 42% of cases in 2016 to 70% in 2020. ConclusionIMN use for intertrochanteric fractures continues to increase. However, patients treated with DHS were more likely to mobilise early post-operatively and to go directly home. Notwithstanding the limitations of national registry data research, the dramatic rise in the use of IMN for these fractures appears unsupported by the evidence.

Inpatient Length of Stay in Femur Fracture Patients in Emergency Hospital, Mansoura University

Inpatient Length of Stay in Femur Fracture Patients in Emergency Hospital, Mansoura University

Total hip arthroplasty in patients with colostomy: impact on inpatient complications, hospital costs, and length of stay.

The presence of permanent end-colostomy is traditionally thought of as a risk factor for complications following orthopedic joint replacement; however, literature supporting this association is scarce. This study aims to discern how length of stay, cost of stay, and inpatient complications following total hip arthroplasty (THA) are impacted by presence of colostomy. Data from the National Inpatient Sample was analyzed by International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification regarding THA in patients with and without end-colostomy. Unmatched and matched analyses comparing length of stay, cost of stay, and post-operative adverse outcomes between the two groups were conducted. In the unmatched analysis, 445 THA patients with colostomy were compared to 367,449 THA patients without colostomy. The colostomy patients were then matched for age, sex, race, diabetes, obesity, and the matched groups consisted of 445 patients with and 425 patients without colostomy, respectively. Compared to the THA without colostomy group, the colostomy group was significantly older, had longer hospital stays, and greater cost of stay. When matched for age and comorbidities, length of hospital stay (p < 0.001) and cost of stay (p = 0.002) remained significantly higher. The colostomy group was at significantly increased risk for periprosthetic fracture, dislocation, and infection compared to all THA patients. When matched for age and common comorbidities, the colostomy group had significantly higher risk in only periprosthetic dislocation [p = 0.003, OR 11.8 (1.6-4.6, 95% CI)] and periprosthetic infection [p < 0.05, OR 2.7 (0.97-7.7 95% CI)]. Patients with colostomy are at risk of longer hospital courses and greater incurred costs following THA compared to patients without colostomy. They are additionally at significantly increased risk of periprosthetic dislocation and periprosthetic infection, warranting treatment as high-risk patients. Retrospective cohort study.

368 Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments in the Emergency Department Impact Inpatient Length of Stay

368 Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments in the Emergency Department Impact Inpatient Length of Stay

Simplified dressing change after surgery for high anal fistula: A prospective, single centre randomized controlled study on loose combined cutting seton (LCCS) technique.

Dressing change is the most important part of postoperative wound care. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a more effective, simple and less painful method of dressing change for anal fistulas could be found without the need for debridement and packing. Data related to postoperative recovery were recorded at postoperative days 3, 7, 14, 21 and 180. In this experiment, 76 subjects diagnosed with high anal fistula were randomly divided into a simplified dressing change (SDC) group and a traditional debridement dressing change(TDDC) group according to a ratio of 1:1. The SDC group had significantly fewer pain scores, bleeding rates, dressing change times, inpatient days and lower average inpatient costs than the TDDC group. There were no significant differences in wound healing time, area and depth and Wexner score between the two groups. Studies have shown that the use of simplified dressing changes does not affect cure or recurrence rates, but significantly reduces dressing change times and pain during changes, reducing patient inpatient length of stay and costs.

Use of Open Claims vs Closed Claims in Health Outcomes Research.

Background: Closed claims are frequently used in outcomes research studies. Lately, the availability of open claims has increased the possibility of obtaining information faster and on a larger scale. However, because of the possibility of missing claims and duplications, these data sets have not been highly utilized in medical research. Objective: To compare frequently used healthcare utilization measures between closed claims and open claims to analyze if the possibility of missing claims in open claims data creates a downward bias in the estimates. Methods: We identified 18 different diseases using 2022 data from 2 closed claims data sets (MarketScan® and PharMetrics® Plus) and 1 open claims database (Kythera). After applying an algorithm that removes possible duplications from open claims data, we compared healthcare utilizations such as inpatient, emergency department, and outpatient use and length of stay among these 3 data sets. We applied standardized differences to compare the medians for each outcome. Results: The sample size of the open claims data sets was 10 to 65 times larger than closed claims data sets depending on disease type. For each disease, the estimates of healthcare utilization were similar between the open claims and closed claims data. The difference was statistically insignificant. Conclusions: Open claims data with a bigger sample size and more current available information provide essential advantages for healthcare outcomes research studies. Therefore, especially for new medications and rare diseases, open claims data can provide information much earlier than closed claims, which usually have a time lag of 6 to 8 months.

Use of Open Claims vs Closed Claims in Health Outcomes Research

Background: Closed claims are frequently used in outcomes research studies. Lately, the availability of open claims has increased the possibility of obtaining information faster and on a larger scale. However, because of the possibility of missing claims and duplications, these data sets have not been highly utilized in medical research. Objective: To compare frequently used healthcare utilization measures between closed claims and open claims to analyze if the possibility of missing claims in open claims data creates a downward bias in the estimates. Methods: We identified 18 different diseases using 2022 data from 2 closed claims data sets (MarketScan® and PharMetrics® Plus) and 1 open claims database (Kythera). After applying an algorithm that removes possible duplications from open claims data, we compared healthcare utilizations such as inpatient, emergency department, and outpatient use and length of stay among these 3 data sets. We applied standardized differences to compare the medians for each outcome. Results: The sample size of the open claims data sets was 10 to 65 times larger than closed claims data sets depending on disease type. For each disease, the estimates of healthcare utilization were similar between the open claims and closed claims data. The difference was statistically insignificant. Conclusions: Open claims data with a bigger sample size and more current available information provide essential advantages for healthcare outcomes research studies. Therefore, especially for new medications and rare diseases, open claims data can provide information much earlier than closed claims, which usually have a time lag of 6 to 8 months.

Development and validation of a tool to predict high-need, high-cost patients hospitalised with ischaemic heart disease

ObjectiveTo develop and validate a tool to predict patients with ischaemic heart disease (IHD) at risk of excessive healthcare resource utilisation.DesignA retrospective cohort study.SettingWe identified patients through the State of...

Reducing physical restraints in pediatrics: A quality improvement mixed-methods analysis of implementing a clinical debriefing process after behavioural health emergencies in a Children's Hospital

IntroductionAn increasing number of pediatric patients with mental and behavioral health (MBH) conditions present to Emergency Department (ED) and inpatient settings with behavioral events that require physical restraint (PR). PR usage is associated with adverse outcomes. Clinical debriefing (CD) programs have been associated with improved performance but have not been studied in this population. After implementing an MBH-CD program in our Children's Hospital, we aimed to decrease the baseline (7/2018-3/2021) rate of a second PR episode (2PR) by 50 % in the ED and inpatient settings over two years. MethodsA multidisciplinary team implemented an MBH-CD process in April 2021 for hospital teams to use immediately after behavioral events. We included patients ≤18 years old, with an ED or inpatient discharge MBH diagnosis, between July 2018 and June 2023. Pre- and post-implementation secondary outcomes included the ED median duration of PR and the ED PR time per 1000 h of ED care. ED and inpatient mean length of stay (LOS) and mean monthly visits (MMV) in pre- and post-implementation were also compared. Qualitative analysis identified major themes. ResultsPost-implementation, the ED significantly decreased 2PR rate by 67 %; in inpatients, no significant change was demonstrated. Median duration of ED PR decreased from 112 to 71 min (p = 0.006) and ED PR time significantly decreased by 82 % (14.8 to 2.7 h per 1000 h). In the post-implementation period, mean LOS (ED and inpatient) and MMV (ED only) were significantly higher. Fifty-one percent of 494 behavioral alerts were debriefed. Median debriefing duration was 6 min (IQR 4,10). Common themes included cooperation and coordination (23 %) and clinical standards (14 %). DiscussionClinical debriefing implementation was associated with significant improvement in ED patient outcomes. Inpatient outcomes were unchanged, but debriefings in both settings should enable frontline teams to continuously identify opportunities to improve future outcomes.