Keith E. Kocher

National Trends in Use of Computed Tomography in the Emergency Department

STUDY OBJECTIVE The role of computed tomography (CT) in acute illnesses has increased substantially in recent years; however, little is known about how CT use in the emergency department (ED) has changed over time. METHODS A retrospective study was performed with the 1996 to 2007 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a large nationwide survey of ED services. We assessed changes during this period in CT use during an ED visit, CT use for specific ED presenting complaints, and disposition after CT use. Main outcomes were presented as adjusted risk ratios (RRs). RESULTS Data from 368,680 patient visits during the 12-year period yielded results for an estimated 1.29 billion weighted ED encounters, among which an estimated 97.1 million (7.5%) patients received at least one CT. Overall, CT use during ED visits increased 330%, from 3.2% of encounters (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.9% to 3.6%) in 1996 to 13.9% (95% CI 12.8% to 14.9%) in 2007. Among the 20 most common complaints presenting to the ED, there was universal increase in CT use. Rates of growth were highest for abdominal pain (adjusted RR comparing 2007 to 1996=9.97; 95% CI 7.47 to 12.02), flank pain (adjusted RR 9.24; 95% CI 6.22 to 11.51), chest pain (adjusted RR 5.54; 95% CI 3.75 to 7.53), and shortness of breath (adjusted RR 5.28; 95% CI 2.76 to 8.34). In multivariable modeling, the likelihood of admission or transfer after a CT scan decreased over the years but has leveled off more recently (adjusted RR comparing admission or transfer after CT in 2007 to 1996=0.42; 95% CI 0.32 to 0.55). CONCLUSION CT use in the ED has increased significantly in recent years across a broad range of presenting complaints. The increase has been associated with a decline in admissions or transfers after CT use, although this effect has stabilized more recently.

Effect of Testing and Treatment on Emergency Department Length of Stay Using a National Database

OBJECTIVES Testing and treatment are essential aspects of the delivery of emergency care. Recognition of the effects of these activities on emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS) has implications for administrators planning efficient operations, providers, and patients regarding expectations for length of visit; researchers in creating better models to predict LOS; and policy-makers concerned about ED crowding. METHODS A secondary analysis was performed using years 2006 through 2008 of the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS), a nationwide study of ED services. In univariate and bivariate analyses, the authors assessed ED LOS and frequency of testing (blood test, urinalysis, electrocardiogram [ECG], radiograph, ultrasound, computed tomography [CT], or magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) and treatment (providing a medication or performance of a procedure) according to disposition (discharged or admitted status). Two sets of multivariable models were developed to assess the contribution of testing and treatment to LOS, also stratified by disposition. The first was a series of logistic regression models to provide an overview of how testing and treatment activity affects three dichotomized LOS cutoffs at 2, 4, and 6 hours. The second was a generalized linear model (GLM) with a log-link function and gamma distribution to fit skewed LOS data, which provided time costs associated with tests and treatment. RESULTS Among 360 million weighted ED visits included in this analysis, 227 million (63%) involved testing, 304 million (85%) involved treatment, and 201 million (56%) involved both. Overall, visits with any testing were associated with longer LOS (median = 196 minutes; interquartile range [IQR] = 125 to 305 minutes) than those with any treatment (median = 159 minutes; IQR = 91 to 262 minutes). This difference was more pronounced among discharged patients than admitted patients. Obtaining a test was associated with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 2.29 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.86 to 2.83) for experiencing a more than 4-hour LOS, while performing a treatment had no effect (adjusted OR = 0.84; 95% CI = 0.68 to 1.03). The most time-costly testing modalities included blood test (adjusted marginal effects on LOS = +72 minutes; 95% CI = 66 to 78 minutes), MRI (+64 minutes; 95% CI = 36 to 93 minutes), CT (+59 minutes; 95% CI = 54 to 65 minutes), and ultrasound (US; +56 minutes; 95% CI = 45 to 67 minutes). Treatment time costs were less substantial: performing a procedure (+24 minutes; 95% CI = 20 to 28 minutes) and providing a medication (+15 minutes; 95% CI = 8 to 21 minutes). CONCLUSIONS Testing and less substantially treatment were associated with prolonged LOS in the ED, particularly for blood testing and advanced imaging. This knowledge may better direct efforts at streamlining delivery of care for the most time-costly diagnostic modalities or suggest areas for future research into improving processes of care. Developing systems to improve efficient utilization of these services in the ED may improve patient and provider satisfaction. Such practice improvements could then be examined to determine their effects on ED crowding.

Does health information exchange reduce redundant imaging? Evidence from emergency departments.

Background:Broad-based electronic health information exchange (HIE), in which patients’ clinical data follow them between care delivery settings, is expected to produce large quality gains and cost savings. Although these benefits are assumed to result from reducing redundant care, there is limited supporting empirical evidence. Objective:To evaluate whether HIE adoption is associated with decreases in repeat imaging in emergency departments (EDs). Data Source/Study Setting:ED discharge data from the State Emergency Department Databases for California and Florida for 2007–2010 were merged with Health Information Management Systems Society data that report hospital HIE participation. Methods:Using regression with ED fixed effects and trends, we performed a retrospective analysis of the impact of HIE participation on repeat imaging, comparing 37 EDs that initiated HIE participation during the study period to 410 EDs that did not participate in HIE during the same period. Within 3 common types of imaging tests [computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, and chest x-ray), we defined a repeat image for a given patient as the same study in the same body region performed within 30 days at unaffiliated EDs. Results:In our sample there were 20,139 repeat CTs (representing 14.7% of those cases with CT in the index visit), 13,060 repeat ultrasounds (20.7% of ultrasound cases), and 29,703 repeat chest x-rays (19.5% of x-ray cases). HIE was associated with reduced probability of repeat ED imaging in all 3 modalities: −8.7 percentage points for CT [95% confidence interval (CI): −14.7, −2.7], −9.1 percentage points for ultrasound (95% CI: −17.2, −1.1), and −13.0 percentage points for chest x-ray (95% CI: −18.3, −7.7), reflecting reductions of 44%–67% relative to sample means. Conclusions:HIE was associated with reduced repeat imaging in EDs. This study is among the first to find empirical support for this anticipated benefit of HIE.

Reducing Variation In Hospital Admissions From The Emergency Department For Low-Mortality Conditions May Produce Savings

The emergency department (ED) is now the primary source for hospitalizations in the United States, and admission rates for all causes differ widely between EDs. In this study we used a national sample of ED visits to examine variation in risk-standardized hospital admission rates from EDs and the relationship of this variation to inpatient mortality for the fifteen most commonly admitted medical and surgical conditions. We then estimated the impact of variation on national health expenditures under different utilization scenarios. Risk-standardized admission rates differed substantially across EDs, ranging from 1.03-fold for sepsis to 6.55-fold for chest pain between the twenty-fifth and seventy-fifth percentiles of the visits. Conditions such as chest pain, soft tissue infection, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and urinary tract infection were low-mortality conditions that showed the greatest variation. This suggests that some of these admissions might not be necessary, thus representing opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce health spending. Our data indicate that there may be sizeable savings to US payers if differences in ED hospitalization practices could be narrowed among a few of these high-variation, low-mortality conditions.

Emergency department visits after surgery are common for medicare patients, suggesting opportunities to improve care

Considerable attention is being paid to hospital readmission as a marker of poor postdischarge care coordination. However, little is known about another potential marker: emergency department (ED) use. We examined ED visits for Medicare patients within thirty days of discharge for six common inpatient surgeries. We found that these visits were widespread and showed extensive variation across facilities. For example, 17.3 percent of these patients experienced at least one ED visit within the postdischarge period, and 4.4 percent of patients had multiple ED visits. Among those patients who were readmitted, 56.5 percent were readmitted from the ED. There was substantial variation-as much as fourfold-in hospital-level ED use for these patients across all six procedures. The variation might signify a failure in upstream coordination of care and therefore might represent a novel hospital quality indicator. In addition, the postdischarge ED visit is an opportunity to ensure that care is properly coordinated and is the last best chance to avoid preventable readmissions.

Changes in the source of unscheduled hospitalizations in the united states

Background:Hospitalizations represent a significant portion of the annual expenditures for the US health care system. Understanding recent changes in the sources of unscheduled admissions may provide opportunities to improve the quality and cost of inpatient care. Objectives:To examine sources of unscheduled hospitalization over a 10-year period and implications for inpatient mortality and length of stay (LOS). Research Design:Observational study using the 2000–2009 Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Subjects:We categorized unscheduled hospitalizations as those related to transfers, direct admissions from outpatient providers, and the emergency department (ED). Measures:Hospitalization rates by source and clinical condition with multivariable regression analyses adjusted for patient demographics, comorbid conditions, and hospital factors to evaluate associated mortality and LOS outcomes. Results:Unscheduled hospitalizations arising from direct admissions and the ED changed substantially while those due to transfers remained relatively stable. The ED admitted 64.9% [95% confidence interval (CI), 62.8%–66.9%] of unscheduled hospitalizations in 2000, rising to 81.8% (95% CI, 80.5%–83.1%) by 2009, whereas direct admissions from outpatient providers correspondingly declined. In 2009, despite higher illness severity and chronic disease burden, hospitalization through the ED as compared with direct admissions was associated with an overall lower mortality adjusted odds ratio of 0.85 (95% CI, 0.77–0.93) and shorter adjusted hospital LOS of −0.84 (95% CI, −0.99 to −0.70) days. Conclusions:Sources of unscheduled hospitalization in the United States have evolved, mostly resulting from care for a variety of clinical conditions now originating in the ED. This trend does not seem to be harming patients or worsening LOS.

In-Hospital Outcomes and Costs Among Patients Hospitalized During a Return Visit to the Emergency Department.

IMPORTANCE Unscheduled short-term return visits to the emergency department (ED) are increasingly monitored as a hospital performance measure and have been proposed as a measure of the quality of emergency care. OBJECTIVE To examine in-hospital clinical outcomes and resource use among patients who are hospitalized during an unscheduled return visit to the ED. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Retrospective analysis of adult ED visits to acute care hospitals in Florida and New York in 2013 using data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Patients with index ED visits were identified and followed up for return visits to the ED within 7, 14, and 30 days. EXPOSURES Hospital admission occurring during an initial visit to the ED vs during a return visit to the ED. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES In-hospital mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, length of stay, and inpatient costs. RESULTS Among the 9,036,483 index ED visits to 424 hospitals in the study sample, 1,758,359 patients were admitted to the hospital during the index ED visit. Of these patients, 149,214 (8.5%) had a return visit to the ED within 7 days of the index ED visit, 228,370 (13.0%) within 14 days, and 349,335 (19.9%) within 30 days, and 76,151 (51.0%), 122,040 (53.4%), and 190,768 (54.6%), respectively, were readmitted to the hospital. Among the 7,278,124 patients who were discharged during the index ED visit, 598,404 (8.2%) had a return visit to the ED within 7 days, 839,386 (11.5%) within 14 days, and 1,205,865 (16.6%) within 30 days. Of these patients, 86,012 (14.4%) were admitted to the hospital within 7 days, 121,587 (14.5%) within 14 days, and 173,279 (14.4%) within 30 days. The 86,012 patients discharged from the ED and admitted to the hospital during a return ED visit within 7 days had significantly lower rates of in-hospital mortality (1.85%) compared with the 1,609,145 patients who were admitted during the index ED visit without a return ED visit (2.48%) (odds ratio, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.69-0.78]), lower rates of ICU admission (23.3% vs 29.0%, respectively; odds ratio, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.71-0.76]), lower mean costs (

Emergency Department Hospitalization Volume and Mortality in the United States

10,169 vs

Emergency department crowding 2.0: coping with a dysfunctional system.

10,799; difference,

The Affordable Care Act and Emergency Care

629 [95% CI,