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. 2021 Sep 20;24(10):1525–1538. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2020.0636

Appendix Table A3.

Sensitivity Analysis of Total Operating Costs, Length of Stay, and Variable Costs by Reason for Consultation (U.S. Dollars) for Individual Observations in Inclusive Analysis, Matched on Death

Days to consultation Reason for consultation
Full matched sample
Goals of care
 Pain management
 Hospice evaluation
 Nonpain symptom management
 Support
n = 1370 (35.5%)
 n = 1463 (38.0%)
 n = 557 (14.5%)
 n = 318 (8.3%)
 n = 147 (3.8%)
Controls Consult p Controls Consult p Controls Consult p Controls Consult p Controls Consult p
Variable costs
 0–1 3504 3102 0.285 3321 3294 0.82 3016 1678.9 <0.001* 2987 3022 0.889 3218 2847 0.878
 2–3 4530 4152 0.533 3998 4411 0.099 3947 2955.2 <0.001* 3492 4218 0.112 4430 4197 0.946
 4–5 4749 5005 0.799 5055 6049 0.082 4819 4047.5 0.031* 4044 5169 0.137 5207 8073 0.791
 6–10 6727 8085 0.403 7187 7839 0.437 6214 6387.2 0.777 7043 8082 0.398 16,512 7958 0.117
Length of stay
 0–1 6.0 5.2 <0.001* 5 5.6 <0.001* 4.6 2.6 <0.001* 4.7 5.7 0.001* 6.3 6.3 1
 2–3 7.0 6.8 0.531 6.4 7.3 <0.001* 6 4.1 <0.001* 7 7.6 0.306 7.8 7.9 0.961
 4–5 9.4 8.9 0.17 8.8 10.3 0.009* 7.9 5.9 <0.001* 9.8 12.3 0.034* 10.9 10.8 0.968
 6–10 12.7 13 0.661 12.9 13.4 0.519 11.4 9.3 <0.001* 13 14 0.514 15.1 16.7 0.441
Total unit operating costs
 0–1 9021 7870 <0.001* 7431 8279 <0.001* 7327 4075 <0.001* 6314 6833 0.172 7459 8356 0.308
 2–3 11,013 11,096 0.807 10,889 12,972 <0.001* 10,450 7698 <0.001* 11,079 12,195 0.218 11,769 12,206 0.692
 4–5 14,126 13,274 0.145 14,761 17,689 0.008* 13,688 10,129 <0.001* 12,920 15,309 0.119 15,754 19,705 0.149
 6–10 19,989 20,705 0.392 22,481 24,059 0.348 18,118 16,592 0.182 20,087 22,040 0.398 23,239 28,783 0.13
Days to consultation Among in-hospital decedents
Goals of care
 Pain management
 Hospice evaluation
 Nonpain symptom management
 Support
n = 246 (49.6%)
 n = 72 (14.5%)
 n = 127 (25.6%)
 n = 27 (5.4%)
 n = 24 (4.8%)
Controls Consult p Controls Consult p Controls Consult p Controls Consult p Controls Consult p
Variable costs
 0–1
 4903
 4199
 0.097
 4893
 5057
 0.823
 3582
 2371
 0.006*
 4575
 6263
 0.457
 6483
 4070
 0.222
 2–3
 5787
 5751
 0.949
 7694
 6789
 0.623
 5081
 4025
 0.116
 4192
 6601
 0.276
 6318
 5762
 0.754
 4–5
 7678
 7178
 0.617
 13,216
 8748
 0.188
 6013
 4631
 0.093
 5015
 7273
 0.412
 8666
 10,148
 0.697
 6–10
 9709
 9873
 0.877
 12,119
 11,051
 0.78
 7731
 8248
 0.772
 14,278
 8951
 0.126
 8201
 8945
 0.898
Length of stay
 0–1
 5.2
 4.4
 0.04*
 6
 7.1
 0.209
 2.9
 2.3
 0.03*
 3.3
 8
 0.027*
 6.6
 7.6
 0.722
 2–3
 6.9
 7
 0.867
 8.6
 9.6
 0.57
 6
 3.6
 <0.001*
 10.6
 9.3
 0.566
 11.7
 9
 0.227
 4–5
 9.8
 8
 0.052
 12.4
 13.5
 0.673
 7.9
 5.4
 0.001*
 7
 11
 0.213
 10.9
 10.7
 0.953
 6–10
 12.6
 11.6
 0.348
 13.7
 13.5
 0.936
 11.8
 9.3
 0.1
 12.9
 11.6
 0.74
 14
 11.3
 0.662
Total unit operating costs
 0–1
 10,265
 8975
 0.133
 14,989
 11,944
 0.146
 6073
 5007
 0.076
 7085
 13,227
 0.115
 15,132
 7935
 0.204
 2–3
 14,005
 14,619
 0.64
 21,491
 20,937
 0.923
 12,747
 9817
 0.119
 10,392
 12,537
 0.716
 23,093
 19,933
 0.799
 4–5
 21,107
 16,184
 0.041*
 29,379
 32,441
 0.781
 21,464
 11,394
 0.002*
 14,051
 14,598
 0.922
 17,786
 20,370
 0.798
 6–10 28,686 24,277 0.122 33,082 30,361 0.789 21,663 20,309 0.758 30,345 23,467 0.306 16,278 41,138 0.327
Days to consultation Among survivors to hospital discharge
Goals of care
 Pain management
 Hospice evaluation
 Nonpain symptom management
 Support
n = 1156 (33.8%)
 n = 430 (12.6%)
 n = 301 (8.8%)
 n = 1397 (40.9%)
 n = 133 (3.9%)
Controls Consult p Controls Consult p Controls Consult p Controls Consult p Controls Consult p
Variable costs
 0–1
 3375
 2876
 0.238
 3272
 3218
 0.652
 2905
 1487
 <0.001*
 2929
 2861
 0.782
 2993
 2725
 0.915
 2–3
 4389
 3839
 0.41
 3883
 4316
 0.081
 3714
 2675
 <0.001*
 3433
 4016
 0.192
 4229
 3924
 0.934
 4–5
 4435
 4585
 0.892
 4505
 5733
 0.027*
 4472
 3821
 0.096
 3925
 4892
 0.195
 4683
 7463
 0.815
 6–10
 6295
 7576
 0.496
 6898
 7488
 0.48
 5914
 5849
 0.918
 6038
 7604
 0.21
 16,916
 7859
 0.117
Length of stay
 0–1
 6.1
 5.3
 <0.001*
 5
 5.6
 <0.001*
 5
 2.7
 <0.001*
 4.8
 5.6
 0.008*
 6.3
 6.2
 0.874
 2–3
 7
 6.8
 0.439
 6.4
 7.2
 <0.001*
 6
 4.2
 <0.001*
 6.7
 7.5
 0.191
 7
 7.6
 0.408
 4–5
 9.3
 9
 0.485
 8.5
 9.9
 0.009*
 7.9
 6
 <0.001*
 10.1
 12.5
 0.059
 10.9
 10.9
 0.99
 6–10
 12.8
 13.3
 0.322
 12.8
 13.4
 0.481
 11.3
 9.3
 0.001*
 13
 14.4
 0.402
 15.3
 17.4
 0.345
Total unit operating costs
 0–1
 8844
 7646
 <0.001*
 7254
 8123
 <0.001*
 7296
 3817
 <0.001*
 6197
 6516
 0.394
 6987
 8397
 0.091
 2–3
 10,600
 10,363
 0.483
 10,612
 12,637
 <0.001*
 10,020
 7149
 <0.001*
 11,088
 12,167
 0.242
 10,575
 10,626
 0.956
 4–5
 13,447
 12,721
 0.217
 13,931
 16,290
 0.022*
 12,448
 9639
 <0.001*
 12,866
 15,395
 0.117
 15,672
 19,520
 0.171
 6–10 18,600 19,666 0.219 21,772 23,352 0.343 17,421 15,493 0.088 18,737 21,777 0.219 23,312 27,171 0.241
*

p < 0.05.