While hospitals without emergency heart surgery backup and those with this service may have similar quality outcomes for elective angioplasties, hospitals without surgery backup have higher costs, according to clinical trial research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012.
Researchers studied billing data from 18,273 patients treated in 59 hospitals in 10 states. Nine months after treatment, the average cumulative medical costs for hospitals with surgery backup were $23,991, while the costs for hospitals without surgery backup were $25,460.
The researchers attributed the cost difference to two main factors: Study protocol required non-surgery hospitals to use intensive care units for post-angioplasty care, and patients at non-surgery hospitals were more likely than patients at surgery-equipped hospitals to be readmitted nine months after treatment.
The authors suggested hospitals without heart surgery backup consider this cost difference when deciding whether to provide elective angioplasty.
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Researchers studied billing data from 18,273 patients treated in 59 hospitals in 10 states. Nine months after treatment, the average cumulative medical costs for hospitals with surgery backup were $23,991, while the costs for hospitals without surgery backup were $25,460.
The researchers attributed the cost difference to two main factors: Study protocol required non-surgery hospitals to use intensive care units for post-angioplasty care, and patients at non-surgery hospitals were more likely than patients at surgery-equipped hospitals to be readmitted nine months after treatment.
The authors suggested hospitals without heart surgery backup consider this cost difference when deciding whether to provide elective angioplasty.
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