How to Evaluate the Impact of Venous Thromboembolism (VTE): Part 1: Readmissions
In Venous Thromboembolism (VTE)

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By: James Pitt  Jul. 26, 2018

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common and often preventable condition in which a blood clot forms, breaks loose, and lodges elsewhere. A June 26, 2018 study in Journal of the American Heart Association by Secemsky et. al analyzed CMS data on all-cause readmissions after VTE discharges from 2010-2014. From 2010-2014, 17.5% of patients discharged alive after acute VTE were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days. Secemsky et. al attribute a total $10 billion in annual US healthcare costs to VTE, and report that these 30-day readmissions account for “a nationally weighted annual cost totaling $1.44 billion.”

As a case study, Dexur analysts examined the converse of Secemsky's data: VTE readmissions after all-cause discharges. The sample consists of CMS inpatient discharge data on 2013-2016 VTE readmissions at seven Pittsburgh, PA hospitals.

The highest rate of VTE readmissions after all-cause discharges was 1.31% at Allegheny General Hospital, and the lowest 0.57% at UPMC St. Margaret.

VTE Readmissions After Any Cause Discharge percentage of Patients Readmitted within 30 Days Pittsburgh Hospitals

Surgery is a recognized risk factor for preventable VTEs. At five Pittsburgh hospitals, VTE readmissions were slightly more common after surgical discharges than after non-surgical discharges. At UPMC Mercy Hospital, surgical discharges were nearly twice as likely as non-surgical discharges to be readmitted with VTE within 30 days (1.45% of surgical discharges vs 0.75% of non-surgical disc). Magee Women's Hospital reversed the general trend, with half as many VTE readmissions in surgical patients as in non-surgical patients (0.75% of surgical vs 1.57% of non-surgical discharges). This may indicate opportunities to improve VTE prevention.

DEXUR PRO MEMBERS GET ACCESS TO:

  1. Total Discharges ( Jan 2013 to Dec 2016 )
  2. Total Discharges after Exclusion
  3. All Cause 30 Day Readmissions
  4. 30 Day VTE Readmissions
  5. 30 Day VTE Readmission Rate (%)
  6. State 30 Day VTE Readmission Rate (%)
  7. National 30 Day VTE Readmission Rate (%)
  8. % 30 Day Readmissions back to Same Hospital
  9. 30 to 60 Day VTE Readmissions
  10. 30 to 60 Day VTE Readmission Rate (%)
  11. State 30 to 60 Day VTE Readmission Rate (%)
  12. National 30 to 60 Day VTE Readmission Rate (%)

From 2013-2016, for all CMS inpatient discharges and grouped by surgical and non-surgical discharges, for the following hospitals:

  1. UPMC Presbyterian (Pittsburgh, PA)
  2. Allegheny General Hospital (Pittsburgh, PA)
  3. UPMC Passavant - McCandless (Pittsburgh, PA)
  4. UPMC Mercy Hospital (Pittsburgh, PA)
  5. St Clair Memorial Hospital (Pittsburgh, PA)
  6. UPMC St Margaret (Pittsburgh, PA)
  7. Magee Women's Hospital of UPMC (Pittsburgh, PA)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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James Pitt

James Pitt is a science writer with experience in medical devices and textbook publishing. His hobbies include reading, flintknapping, and squinting at RStudio. He received a bachelor's in Human Evolutionary Biology from Harvard.