National trends in inpatient endometriosis admissions: Patients, procedures and outcomes, 2006-2015

Despite guidance towards minimally invasive, outpatient procedures for endometriosis, many patients nonetheless receive inpatient care. Our objective was to assess trends in patient and hospital characteristics, surgical complications and hospital charges for women with an endometriosis-related inpatient admission in the United States.

We conducted a pooled cross-sectional analysis of Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample data. Visits were stratified into three time-period-defined cohorts (2006-2007, 2010-2011, and 2014 through the first three quarters of 2015). Visits were included if the patient was aged 18-49 years and the primary diagnosis code was for endometriosis (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision code 617.xx). We evaluated counts of inpatient admissions and rates of patient and hospital characteristics.

The number of inpatient admissions with a primary diagnosis code for endometriosis decreased by 72.8% from 2006 to 2015. At the same time, among those admitted for inpatient care for endometriosis, the proportions who had Medicaid insurance and multiple documented comorbidities increased. From 2006 to 2015, mean total hospital charges increased by 75% to $39,662 in 2015 US dollars, although average length of stay increased by <1 day.

The number of inpatient admissions with a primary diagnosis of endometriosis decreased over the past decade, while surgical complications and associated hospital charges increased. The share of patients with multiple comorbidities increased and an increasing proportion of inpatient endometriosis admissions were covered by Medicaid and occurred at urban teaching hospitals. These findings suggest a demographic shift in patients receiving inpatient care for endometriosis towards more complex, vulnerable patients.