By: James Pitt  Jun. 29, 2018
Atrial fibrillation (Afib) is an irregular heartbeat that has a major impact on quality of life and increases the risk of stroke or heart failure. A May 2018 meta-analysis found that diabetes raises the risk of atrial fibrillation by 28%.
Dexur analysts examined rates and quality outcomes of atrial fibrillation in patients with diabetes with complications. The sample consisted of discharges with diabetes with complications (DRG 638) or major complications (DRG 637), at seven hospitals in Indiana with over 5,000 CMS inpatient discharges per year from 2013-2016.
At all hospitals, patients with major complications were more likely to have Afib than patients with non-major complications. The gap was smallest at St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital, where 19% of DRG 637 patients and 18% of DRG 638 patients had Afib.
Rates of Afib were lowest at Indiana University Health Methodist (Indianapolis), where 14% of DRG 637 patients and 8% of DRG 638 patients had Afib. The highest rate of Afib in DRG 637 was at Reid Health (Richmond), at 30%; the highest rate in DRG 638 was 21% at Franciscan Health Indianapolis.
On average, diabetes patients with complications had longer stays at these hospitals if they had atrial fibrillation.
The weighted average length of stay across these seven hospitals was 3.5 days for patients with non-major complications without Afib; 4.03 days with non-major complications with Afib; 5.42 days with major complications and Afib; and 6.08 days with major complications and Afib.
For DRGs 637 and 638, from 2013-2016, at the following hospitals: