New Data Show U.S. Hospital Readmissions are 54 Percent Higher for Malnourished Patients
January 09 2017 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
- Average cost is nearly $17,000 per
patient for readmission following hospitalization involving
malnutrition
- Conditions associated with malnutrition
include serious bloodstream infection, pneumonia and congestive
heart failure
The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) recently
published data showing malnutrition in U.S. hospitalized patients
is associated with a more than 50 percent higher rate of
readmission within 30 days, compared to patient stays not
identified with malnutrition. The new statistical brief, “All-Cause
Readmissions Following Hospital Stays for Patients With
Malnutrition,” was co-authored by the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality (AHRQ), the American Society for Parenteral
and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) and Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:
BAX). The resulting cost per readmission is nearly $17,000 per
patient, depending on the type of malnutrition.
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“It’s concerning readmission rates are so frequently associated
with malnutrition. While the study looked at U.S. statistics, this
is a global healthcare issue,” said Mary Hise Brown, PhD, RDN,
CNSC, senior medical director, Baxter, and co-author of the brief.
“From both a patient outcomes and healthcare cost perspective,
these data point to the critically important need to properly
diagnose and treat at-risk patients with nutritional needs during
their hospital stay.”
The readmission data came from the HCUP Nationwide Readmissions
Database and was studied in response to a Congressional request for
research on malnutrition. It is the second malnutrition study
co-authored by AHRQ, ASPEN and Baxter in 2016. In September, the
collaborators issued a publication, “Characteristics of Hospital
Stays Involving Malnutrition,” which concluded malnutrition is
associated with up to five times higher risk of in-hospital deaths,
may result in two times longer hospital stays, and creates an
estimated $42 billion burden to the healthcare system.1
Key findings from the readmissions data for malnourished
patients include:
- 23 percent of patients with
malnutrition were readmitted to the hospital within thirty days
after discharge, compared to only a 15 percent re-admittance rate
of patients without a malnutrition diagnosis.
- Nearly one in three stays for patients
with postsurgical non-absorption were followed by a readmission
within 30 days.
- The highest readmission rates were
among adults aged 18–64 years, those stays paid by Medicaid, and
for patients residing in metropolitan areas.
- The readmission rate was similar across
income levels for patients with malnutrition at the time of their
original admission (index stay) to the hospital. For patients
without malnutrition during their original stay, readmission rates
were highest among those from low-income areas.
- The average cost per readmission was
$16,900 for patients with protein-calorie malnutrition and $17,900
for patients with postsurgical non-absorption—26 and 34 percent
higher, respectively, than the readmission cost for patients
without malnutrition ($13,400).
- Conditions associated with malnutrition
include serious bloodstream infection, pneumonia and congestive
heart failure.
“It is essential for the healthcare team to recognize the signs
of malnutrition while patients are in the hospital in order to
expedite healing, offer on-site nutrition interventions and
education, and provide a plan for ongoing nutritional support,”
said Peggi Guenter, PhD, RN, FAAN, ASPEN senior director of
clinical practice, quality and advocacy, and co-author of the
brief. “This model of care should reduce the rate of readmissions,
lower overall healthcare costs and, most importantly, improve
outcomes.”
Both ASPEN and Baxter are committed to raising awareness about
the consequences of disease-related malnutrition and the importance
of early diagnosis and treatment. ASPEN offers a
comprehensive Malnutrition Solutions Center online for
healthcare providers, patients, and caregivers to learn about how
to recognize and manage disease-related malnutrition. Healthcare
providers also can learn more at Baxter’s Nutrition
Academy online, which provides practical guidance on how and
when to implement parenteral nutrition, to help make it accessible
to more patients with nutritional deficits.
The full Statistical Brief is now available on the AHRQ
website.
About ASPEN
The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
(ASPEN) is dedicated to improving patient care by advancing the
science and practice of nutrition support therapy and metabolism.
Founded in 1976, ASPEN is an interdisciplinary organization whose
members are involved in the provision of clinical nutrition
therapies, including parenteral and enteral nutrition. With more
than 6,500 members from around the world, ASPEN is a community of
dietitians, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, physicians,
scientists, students, and other health professionals from every
facet of nutrition support clinical practice, research, and
education. For more information about ASPEN, please visit
www.nutritioncare.org.
About Baxter
Baxter provides a broad portfolio of essential renal and
hospital products, including home, acute and in-center dialysis;
sterile IV solutions; infusion systems and devices; parenteral
nutrition; biosurgery products and anesthetics; and pharmacy
automation, software and services. The company’s global footprint
and the critical nature of its products and services play a key
role in expanding access to healthcare in emerging and developed
countries. Baxter’s employees worldwide are building upon the
company’s rich heritage of medical breakthroughs to advance the
next generation of healthcare innovations that enable patient
care.
Baxter is a registered trademark of Baxter International
Inc.
__________________________________
1 Weiss AJ, et al. Characteristics of Hospital Stays Involving
Malnutrition, 2013. HCUP Statistical Brief #210.
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ASPEN Media Contact:Juliet Glassroth, (301)
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