A Comparative Analysis of Emergency Room Utilization Before and After TRICARE Implementation at Reynolds Army Community Hospital Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
James M. Gamerl
Author(s):  
Yi Yan ◽  
Lichao Zhan ◽  
Susheng Zhong ◽  
Xijun Lin ◽  
Xiaohui Mai ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 545-552
Author(s):  
Nathalia De Oro ◽  
Maria E Gauthreaux ◽  
Julie Lamoureux ◽  
Joseph Scott

Abstract Background Procalcitonin (PCT) is a biomarker that shows good sensitivity and specificity in identifying septic patients. Methods This study investigated the diagnostic accuracy of PCT in a community hospital setting and how it compared to that of lactic acid. It explored the impact on patient care before and after PCT implementation regarding costs and length of stay. Two comparative groups were analyzed using an exploratory descriptive case–control study with data from a 19-month period after PCT implementation and a retrospective quasi-experimental study using a control group of emergency department patients diagnosed with sepsis using data before PCT implementation. Results Post-procalcitonin implementation samples included 165 cases and pre-procalcitonin implementation sample included 69 cases. From the 165 sepsis cases who had positive blood cultures, PCT had a sensitivity of 89.7%. In comparison, lactic acid's sensitivity at the current cutoff of 18.02 mg/dL (2.0 mmol/L) was 64.9%. There was a 32% decrease in median cost before and after PCT implementation, even with the length of stay remaining at 5 days in both time periods. Conclusions There was a significant decrease after the implementation of PCT in cost of hospitalization compared to costs before implementation. This cost is highly correlated with length of stay; neither the hospital nor the intensive care unit length of stay showed a difference with before and after implementation. There was a positive correlation between lactic acid and PCT values. PCT values had a higher predictive usefulness than the lactic acid values.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
YuJin Chung ◽  
JinHo Beom ◽  
JiEun Lee ◽  
Incheol Park ◽  
Junho Cho

Abstract Background The Life Extension Medical Decision law enacted on February 4, 2018 in South Korea was the first to consider the suspension of nonsensical life-prolonging treatment, and its enactment raised big controversy in Korean society. However, there is no study on whether the actual life-prolonging treatment for patients has decreased after enforcing the law. This study aimed to compare the provision of patient consent before and after the enforcement of the law among cancer patients who visited a tertiary university hospital's emergency room to understand the effects of the law on cancer patients' clinical care. Methods This retrospective single cohort study included advanced cancer patients over 19 years of age who visited the emergency room at a tertiary university hospital. The two study periods were as follows: from February 2017 to January 2018 (before) and from May 2018 to April 2019 (after). The primary outcome was the average length of hospital stay. The consent rate for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), intubation, continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), and intensive care unit (ICU) admission were the secondary outcomes. Results The average length of hospital stay decreased after the law was enforced, from 4 days to 2 days (p= 0.001). The rates of direct transfers to secondary and nursing hospitals increased from 8.2% to 21.2% (p=0.001) and from 1.0% to 9.7%, respectively (p<0.001). The rate of provision of consent for admission to the ICU decreased from 6.7% to 2.3% (p=0.032). For CPR and CRRT, the rate of provision of consent decreased from 1.0% to 0.0% and from 13.9% to 8.8%, respectively, but the differences were not significant (p=0.226 and p=0.109, respectively). Conclusion According to previous research, for patients wishing only conservative treatment, the reduction in hospital stays at tertiary hospitals ultimately reduces the physical, emotional, financial burdens and also improves the quality of end-of-life at home or in a hospice facility. In this context, this research ultimately show that the purpose of the LEMD law has been achieved. Further research in several hospitals including those patients who completed the consent after hospitalization is needed to generalize the clinical implication of the LEMD law.


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