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Show Length of Patient Hospitalization by Major Diagnostic Category Compiled by Kris Atkinson, Jeff Olsen, and Gretchen Ratzlaff The following data demonstrate trends in the length of stay (LOS) for patients in Utah. Table 17 presents the average number of days patients were hospitalized in 52 Utah hospitals from 1992-2000. Patients were categorized by Major Diagnostic Category (MDC) of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). These data are useful in recognizing trends in Utah's patient population. For example, the LOS for "mental disease and disorders" decreased from 26.90 days in 1992 to 14.01 days in 2000. This may indicate influences such as 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" over this same period. This group's LOS rose from 2.51 days in 1995 to 3.07 days in 2000. One explanation of this upward trend may be that innovative technology enables the increased survival of premature newborns. Subsequently, premature newborns may require longer hos-pitalizations. 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 per MDC might reflect Utah's overall health status. However, longer hospitalizations do not necessarily represent increased illness. Table 17. Average Length of Hospitalization in Days by Major Diagnostic Category, Utah, 1992-2000. Year Major Diagnostic Category (MDC) I55Z 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Average 1. Nervous System 6.3 5.8 5.5 5.1 5.0 5.3 5.1 5.2 4.8 5.3 2. Eye Z.D 2.4 2.5 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.6 3. Ear, Nose, Throat & Mouth 2.8 3.2 2.9 2.7 2.8 2.7 2.8 2.7 2.8 2.8 4. Respiratory System 5.4 5.7 5.4 5.0 5.1 5.1 5.0 4.9 5.0 5.2 5. Circulatory System 5.5 5.6 5.6 4.8 4.6 4.6 4.5 4.5 4.3 4.8 6. Digestive System 4.9 4.8 4.7 4.6 4.6 4.7 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.7 7. Hepatobiliary System & Pancreas 4.4 4.6 4.8 5.0 4.8 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.8 4.8 8. Musculoskeletal System & Conn Tissue 4.4 4.2 5.6 3.9 3.8 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.0 4.2 9. Skin, Subcutaneous Tissue & Breast 4.2 4.2 4.4 4.1 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.0 4.2 10. Endocrine, Nutritional & Meta System 3.8 4.0 3.7 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.6 11. Kidney & Urinary Tract 4.2 4.4 4.3 4.1 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.1 4.2 12. Male Reproductive System 4.1 4.1 4.0 3.3 3.4 3.2 3.0 2.9 2.8 3.5 13. Female Reproductive System 3.2 3.1 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.9 2.8 2.7 2.9 14. Pregnancy, Childbirth & Puerperium 2.1 2.0 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.8 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.0 15. Newborn & Perinatal Period 2.7 2.7 3.4 2.5 2.6 2.6 3.0 3.0 3.1 2.9 16. Blood & Blood Forming Disorders 4.9 4.9 4.6 4.6 4.9 4.7 4.5 4.5 4.4 4.6 17. Myeloproliterative Disorders 6.6 6.4 6.5 6.1 6.5 6.5 6.7 7.1 6.9 6.6 18. Infectious & Parasitic Diseases 6.1 6.1 6.2 6.0 5.8 6.3 6.0 6.1 6.0 6.1 19. Mental Diseases & Disorders 26.9 24.1 24.2 21.0 12.9 11.5 11.4 13.8 14.0 18.2 20. Alcohol/Drug Use or Induced Mental Dz 14.7 15.2 18.7 11.0 9.8 5.9 5.6 6.6 6.2 11.1 21. Injuries, Poison & Toxic Eff of Drugs 3.3 3.5 3.0 3.3 3.3 3.8 4.2 3.7 3.4 3.5 22. Burns 9.8 10.6 10.7 8.8 11.1 9.4 10.1 9.2 12.1 10.3 23. Factors Influencing Health Status 18.4 17.3 16.5 12.4 13.0 12.6 11.3 14.1 12.4 14.1 24. Multiple Significant Trauma 10.1 10.0 8.7 8.6 8.7 8.1 9.0 8.4 8.4 8.8 25. HIV Infection 6.5 6.2 6.9 7.0 8.9 8.4 7.0 8.7 6.1 7.2 Ungroupable9 22.5 35.4 18.7 24.6 7.9 12.3 14.9 18.8 27.2 36.3 Overall Average 5.3 5.4 5.4 5.3 4.1 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.1 4.6 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 (2001). Utah Hospital Discharge Query System - Descriptive Statistics [Online] http://www. health.state.ut.us/ibisq/. 62 Utah's Health: An Annual Review Volume VIII |