Hospital outcomes and early readmission for the most common gastrointestinal and liver diseases in the United States: Implications for healthcare delivery.

backgroundGastrointestinal (GI) and liver diseases contribute to substantial inpatient morbidity, mortality, and healthcare resource utilization. Finding ways to reduce the economic burden of healthcare costs and the impact of these diseases is of crucial importance. Thirty-day readmission rates and related hospital outcomes can serve as objective measures to assess the impact of and provide further insights into the most common GI ailments.

aimTo identify the thirty-day readmission rates with related predictors and outcomes of hospitalization of the most common GI and liver diseases in the United States.

methodsA cross-sectional analysis of the 2012 National Inpatient Sample was performed to identify the 13 most common GI diseases. The 2013 Nationwide Readmission Database was then queried with specific International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. Primary outcomes were mortality (index admission, calendar-year), hospitalization costs, and thirty-day readmission and secondary outcomes were predictors of thirty-day readmission.

resultsFor the year 2013, the thirteen most common GI diseases contributed to 2.4 million index hospitalizations accounting for about $25 billion. The thirty-day readmission rates were highest for chronic liver disease (25.4%),

conclusionPreventable and non-chronic GI disease contributed to a significant economic and health burden comparable to chronic GI conditions, providing a window of opportunity for improving healthcare delivery in reducing its burden.