Variations in Volume and Costs of Inpatient Admissions for Female Pelvic Reconstructive Procedures Across the United States.

objectivesWe aim to describe the volume and cost of female pelvic reconstructive surgeries across the United States and evaluate the relationship between volume and cost of inpatient care for these surgeries.

methodsMedicare Severity Diagnosis Related Group was used to identify admissions for female pelvic reconstructive procedures and aggregated at the state and census region levels using the 2016 Inpatient Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data. Total hospital charges were converted to cost using the cost-to-charge ratios for each state. For context and comparison with another benign gynecologic procedure, we replicated the analysis for benign uterine and adnexal surgeries.

resultsWe identified 2133 patients admitted for female pelvic reconstructive procedures. Across all states, the average cost was US $11,857, and the average number of procedures per 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries was 4.4. The Northeast had the lowest cost, and the West had the highest. The regression model showed that, for each additional admission per 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries, the cost of inpatient care decreased (US $549, P = 0.04). In comparison, we identified 8340 admissions for benign uterine and adnexal surgeries and found a minimal, nonsignificant decrease in cost for each additional admission.

conclusionsThere are variations in the volume and cost of admissions for female pelvic reconstructive surgeries across the United States. We identified that an inverse association between volume and cost for female pelvic reconstructive surgery was not seen in benign uterine and adnexal surgeries.