Hospital Use and Costs by Children with Asthma, 1998-94

摘要

We assessed the costs and use of inpatient services by children with asthma in211u001etwo studies using the HCUP-3 Nationwide Inpatient Sample. The first study focused 211u001eon charges by hospital characteristics. Records were studied of 28.545 children 211u001ewith asthma in 1994 at 735 hospitals. Multiple regression analysis was used to 211u001eadjust for covariates. The average length of stay did not differ by hospitals 211u001echaracteristics. However, the adjusted mean total charges were higher at for-211u001eprofit ($4203) than at nonprofit ($3620). Average charges also were higher at 211u001eurban teaching ($4230) and lower at rural institutions ($2910) compared with 211u001eurban nonteaching hospitals ($3424). The second study focused on asthma severity. 211u001eRecords were analyzed at 29,077 and 33,443 children with asthma in 1990 and 1995, 211u001erespectively. Asthma severity was classified by All Patient Refined-Diagnosis 211u001eRelated Groups. The proportion of high-severity asthma cases did not change 211u001e(P=0.08) between 1990 (4.2%) and 1995 (4.6%). Adolescents and boys were more 211u001elikely to have high-severity asthma than children aged 5 to 12 years and girsl. 211u001eWestern, southern, and north-central hospitals and urban teaching hospitals had a 211u001ehigher proportion of high-severity asthma cases than northeastern hospitals and 211u001enonteaching hospitals.