OCR Text |
Show General Health Status Length of Patient Hospitalization by Major Diagnostic Category Compiled by Kris Atkinson, Jeff Ol sen, and Gretchen Ratzlaff The following data demonstrate trends in the hospital length of stay (LOS) for patients on Utah. Table 1 presents the average number of days patients were hospitalized in 52 Utah hospitals from 1993-2001. Major Diagnostic Category (MDC) of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) categorized patients. These data are useful in recognizing trends in Utah's patient population. For example, the LOS for "mental disease and disorders" decreased from 24.1 days in 1993 to 7.99 days in 2001. This may indicate influences of improved drug efficacy, an increased number of outpatient facilities available, developments of preventative health programs, and/or a decrease in insurance reimbursement rates. An increase in LOS was observed among "newborn and other neonates" which rose from 2.51 days in 1995 to 3.02 days in 2001. This may be due to innovative technology that increases the survival of premature newborns, who then may require longer hospitalization. These trends are useful for recognizing changes in health care needs of Utah's population from year to year, but are not conclusive unless combined with additional reliable data. The LOS and service availability per MDC might reflect Utah's overall health status. However, longer hospitalizations do not necessarily represent increased illness. Table 1. Average Length of Hospitalization in Days by Major Diagnostic Category, Utah, 1992-2000. Year Major Diagnostic Category (MDC) 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Average 1. Nervous System 5.81 5.46 5.05 5.00 5.30 5.07 5.16 4.84 5.02 5.19 2. Eye 2.42 2.52 2.81 2.73 2.57 2.92 2.81 2.94 3.20 2.77 3. Ear, Nose, Throat & Mouth 3.21 2.89 2.68 2.81 2.74 2.83 2.72 2.80 2.63 2.81 4. Respiratory System 5.66 5.36 5.01 5.13 5.11 5.03 4.92 5.01 5.14 5.15 5. Circulatory System 5.55 5.56 4.83 4.59 4.55 4.52 4.50 4.26 3.95 4.70 6. Digestive System 4.84 4.72 4.59 4.62 4.69 4.55 4.58 4.60 4.59 4.64 7. Hepatobiliary System & Pancreas 4.63 4.76 4.99 4.80 4.92 4.94 4.94 4.77 4.81 4.84 8. Musculoskeletal System & Conn Tissue 4.18 5.56 3.85 3.84 3.96 4.03 4.10 4.03 4.06 4.18 9. Skin, Subcutaneous Tissue & Breast 4.20 4.41 4.05 4.14 4.17 4.18 4.22 4.02 3.85 4.14 10. Endocrine, Nutritional & Meta System 3.96 3.70 3.48 3.47 3.53 3.76 3.57 3.45 3.33 3.58 11. Kidney & Urinary Tract 4.38 4.28 4.12 4.10 4.17 4.19 4.25 4.09 4.02 4.18 12. Male Reproductive System 4.10 3.97 3.28 3.41 3.16 2.95 2.88 2.75 2.63 3.24 13. Female Reproductive System 3.05 2.89 2.87 2.75 2.79 2.86 2.79 2.69 2.63 2.81 14. Pregnancy, Childbirth & Puerperium 2.01 1.90 1.77 1.78 1.83 2.12 2.17 2.18 2.20 2.00 15. Newborn & Perinatal Period 2.74 3.40 2.51 2.62 2.63 2.95 3.02 3.07 3.02 2.88 16. Blood & Blood Forming Disorders 4.92 4.56 4.58 4.89 4.67 4.48 4.49 4.37 3.97 4.55 17. Myeloproliferative Disorders 6.44 6.47 6.11 6.50 6.50 6.72 7.08 6.92 6.79 6.61 18. Infectious & Parasitic Diseases 6.07 6.24 5.95 5.83 6.25 5.98 6.11 5.99 5.67 6.01 19. Mental Diseases & Disorders 24.14 24.17 21.01 12.88 11.54 11.38 13.81 14.01 7.99 15.66 20. Alcohol/Drug Use or Induced Mental Dz 15.16 18.74 11.04 9.82 5.90 5.57 6.57 6.17 4.56 9.28 21. Injuries, Poison & Toxic Eff of Drugs 3.45 3.01 3.30 3.31 3.78 4.19 3.68 3.37 3.26 3.48 22. Burns 10.61 10.72 8.83 11.11 9.38 10.10 9.18 12.11 9.02 10.12 23. Factors Influencing Health Status 17.26 16.53 12.38 13.00 12.55 11.31 14.14 12.37 12.25 13.53 24. Multiple Significant Trauma 10.01 8.68 8.64 8.72 8.14 8.99 8.35 8.44 8.52 8.72 25. HIV Infection 6.18 6.90 7.00 8.90 8.36 7.00 8.67 6.08 5.82 7.21 Ungroupablea 35.35 18.74 224.60 7.90 12.31 14.85 18.77 27.18 13.68 41.49 Overall Average 5.40 5.40 5.30 4.10 4.00 4.10 4.20 4.10 3.76 4.48 alncludes ICD-9 patient diagnostic codes that could not be grouped into any of the 25 MDCs. Sources: Utah Department of Health, Office of Health Care Statistics (2002). Utah Hospital Discharge Query System - Descriptive Statistics [Online] ij wsyw.health.state.vl.us/ibisqA Accessed 5/03. 74 Utah's Health: An Annual Review Volume DC |