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Health Care Utilization and Costs Associated With Acute Pancreatitis
Vaibhav Wadhwa1, Soumil Patwardhan, Sushil K Garg
1From the *Department of Internal Medicine, Fairview Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, OH; †Department of Internal Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA; ‡Department of Internal Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN; and Departments of §Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and ∥Biostatistics and Quantitative Health Sciences, Cleveland Clinic, OH.
Insights
Inpatient admissions for acute pancreatitis increased significantly from 1997 to 2012. Despite rising costs, lengths of stay and mortality rates for this gastrointestinal disorder decreased.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Health Services Research
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Acute pancreatitis is a frequent inpatient diagnosis within gastrointestinal disorders.
- Understanding trends in its management and outcomes is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the incidence, costs, and mortality rates of acute pancreatitis hospitalizations in the United States.
- To analyze trends in acute pancreatitis admissions and associated healthcare utilization over a 16-year period.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 1997 to 2012.
- Inclusion criteria: principal discharge diagnosis of acute pancreatitis (ICD-9 code: 577.0).
- Statistical analysis using regression to determine significance of changes in discharges, length of stay, and costs.
Main Results:
- Hospital admissions for acute pancreatitis rose from 164,776 in 1997 to 275,170 in 2012.
- Mean hospital charges increased by 118.6% ($15,433 to $33,744) during the study period.
- In-hospital mortality rate significantly decreased from 1.9% to 0.78%.
Conclusions:
- Inpatient admissions and associated costs for acute pancreatitis have markedly increased in the U.S.
- Despite increased costs, lengths of hospital stay and mortality rates for acute pancreatitis have significantly declined.
Objective:
Acute pancreatitis is a common inpatient diagnosis among gastrointestinal disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of inpatient admissions, costs, and mortality rates associated with acute pancreatitis in the United States.
Methods:
We analyzed the National Inpatient Sample for all patients in which acute pancreatitis (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code: 577.0) was the principal discharge diagnosis during the period 1997-2012. The statistical significance of the difference in the hospital discharges, length of stay, and costs over the study period was determined by utilization of regression analysis.
Results:
In 1997, there were 164,776 admissions with a principal discharge diagnosis of acute pancreatitis as compared with 275,170 in 2012 (P < 0.001). The mean length of stay for acute pancreatitis decreased from 6.4 days in 1997 to 4.7 days in 2012 (P < 0.001). However, during this period, the mean hospital charges increased by 118.6% from $15,433 in 1997 to $33,744 in 2012 (P < 0.001). The in-hospital mortality rate decreased significantly from 1.9% in 1997 to 0.78% in 2012 (P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
Inpatient admissions for acute pancreatitis and associated costs have increased markedly over the last 16 years in the United States. However, the lengths of stay and mortality rates have decreased significantly.
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