The increasing cost of pediatric otolaryngology care
Kastley Marvin1, Art Ambrosio1, Matthew Brigger2
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Naval Medical Center San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
Insights
Pediatric otolaryngology inpatient admissions show rising healthcare costs, with charges increasing by 37% and costs by 12%. Understanding these trends is crucial for improving healthcare delivery and quality across all surgical specialties.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Healthcare Research
- Health Economics
- Surgical Outcomes Analysis
Background:
- Healthcare cost definition is essential for improving delivery and quality.
- Pediatric otolaryngology admissions represent a significant public health burden.
- Understanding utilization trends aids in cost-containment strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify the public health burden of pediatric otolaryngology inpatient admissions.
- Compare healthcare utilization trends in otolaryngology with other surgical disciplines.
- Analyze cost and charge trends for pediatric inpatient diagnoses.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study utilizing the Kids' Inpatient Database (2000-2012).
- Analysis of top pediatric admission diagnoses, categorized by surgical specialty (otolaryngology vs. other).
- National estimates of summary statistics and trend comparisons over a twelve-year period.
Main Results:
- Inflammatory and infectious causes were most common among top pediatric surgical admissions.
- Significant increases in hospital charges and costs observed across all diagnoses from 2000-2012.
- Otolaryngologic diagnoses saw a 37.13% increase in charges and 12% in costs; non-otolaryngologic diagnoses increased by 35.87% and 10.43%, respectively.
Conclusions:
- The public health impact and rising healthcare costs are substantial.
- Cross-specialty learning is critical for identifying healthcare cost drivers.
- Maintaining high-quality patient care while addressing costs is a significant healthcare challenge.
Introduction:
Defining the costs associated with healthcare is vital to determining and understanding ways to reduce costs and improve quality of healthcare delivery. The objective of the present study was to identify the current public health burden of inpatient admissions for conditions commonly treated by pediatric otolaryngologists and compare trends in healthcare utilization with other common surgical diagnoses.
Methods:
A retrospective cohort study using the Kids' Inpatient Database for pediatric discharges in the United States from 2000 to 2012. A list of the top 500 admission diagnoses was identified and subsequently grouped into surgical diagnoses typically managed by otolaryngologists and those managed by any other surgical discipline with the top 10 in each category included. Database analyses generated national estimates of summary statistics and comparison of trends over the twelve-year period.
Results:
Of the top pediatric admission diagnoses, the most common conditions managed by surgical specialties involved inflammatory or infectious causes. Hospital charges significantly increased during this time across all diagnoses. On average, the charges for otolaryngologic diagnoses increased by 37.13% while costs increased by almost 12%. In comparison, the charges for non-otolaryngologic diagnoses increased by 35.87% and the costs by 10.43%.
Conclusions:
The public health impact and rising costs of healthcare are substantial. It is of critical significance that the healthcare system be aware of opportunities and lessons that may be learned across specialties to identify the primary drivers of healthcare cost while maintaining high quality standards for patient care.
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