Table 2.
Second-year utilization and cost outcomes1
| Respiratory-related | All other | Overall | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COPD | Control | P value | COPD | Control | P value | COPD | Control | P value | ||
| Health care resource use | ||||||||||
| # of physician encounters (non-lab visits)2 | Mean | 0.75 | 0.075 | <0.0001 | 4.58 | 3.37 | <0.0001 | 5.33 | 3.44 | <0.0001 |
| # of other outpatient encounters2 | Mean | 0.17 | 0.01 | <0.0001 | 6.20 | 3.89 | <0.0001 | 6.37 | 3.90 | <0.0001 |
| # of emergency room visits2 | Mean | 0.13 | 0.023 | <0.0001 | 0.48 | 0.250 | <0.0001 | 0.61 | 0.274 | <0.0001 |
| Any emergency room visit3 | n | 3,666 | 1,666 | <0.0001 | 9,323 | 11,600 | <0.0001 | 10,804 | 12,277 | <0.0001 |
| % | 8.56 | 1.94 | na | 21.80 | 13.56 | na | 25.25 | 14.35 | na | |
| # of acute inpatient discharges4 | Mean | 0.072 | 0.0059 | <0.0001 | 0.134 | 0.072 | <0.0001 | 0.206 | 0.078 | <0.0001 |
| Total bed days of care5 | Mean | 4.97 | 1.17 | <0.0001 | 8.90 | 12.07 | <0.0001 | 13.87 | 13.24 | <0.0001 |
| Any acute inpatient discharge5 | n | 2,356 | 452 | <0.0001 | 3,651 | 4,199 | <0.0001 | 5,227 | 4,455 | <0.0001 |
| % | 5.50 | 0.53 | na | 8.53 | 4.91 | na | 12.21 | 5.20 | na | |
| Length of stay5 | Mean | 3.84 | 1.07 | <0.0001 | 5.70 | 8.31 | <0.0001 | 9.54 | 9.38 | <0.0001 |
| Costs | ||||||||||
| Outpatient $ | Mean | 191.72 | 21.30 | <0.0001 | 1,616.90 | 1,071.31 | <0.0001 | 1,808.62 | 1,092.60 | <0.0001 |
| Inpatient $ | Mean | 484.97 | 47.21 | <0.0001 | 2,144.09 | 1,126.89 | <0.0001 | 2,629.06 | 1,174.10 | <0.0001 |
| Pharmacy $ | Mean | na | na | na | na | na | na | 1,256.10 | 747.10 | <0.0001 |
| Total $ | Mean | 676.68 | 68.50 | <0.0001 | 3,761.00 | 2,198.20 | <0.0001 | 5,693.78 | 3,013.80 | <0.0001 |
Notes:
This table shows utilization and costs for the time period from 366 to 730 days following the patient’s index date. For patients with COPD, the index date is the first date at which COPD was listed as a first or second diagnosis in either the inpatient or outpatient setting. For controls, the index date is the date of the encounter at which the patient was matched with a corresponding COPD patient. Patients with an index date before 10/1/1998 were not included in this table because cost data were only available starting on 10/1/1999.
Number and percentage of patients with one or more visits to a VA outpatient clinic.
Mean number of days on which a patient visited one or more VA outpatient clinics.
Mean number of discharges among all patients in the cohort, including those with no hospital stays.
Total bed days of care, mean length of stay, and number and percentage of patients are among patients who had one or more hospital stays at a VA acute care facility.
Abbreviations: COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; NA, not available; VA, veterans Affairs.