Abstract
Purpose :
To identify income levels and demographics among patients admitted to the hospital with a primary diagnosis of an eye disease and severe illness during hospitalization.
Methods :
Inpatients with a principal diagnosis of an eye disease were identified from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS), a nationally representative de-identified database of US hospitalizations for years 2014, 2016, and 2018. The healthcare cost and utilization project (HCUP) uses MDCs (Major Diagnostic Categories) to provide insight into what conditions are being treated in hospitals. Only patients with a principal diagnosis (MDC) of Diseases and Disorders of the Eye during admission were included. Cases with the highest severity of illness were identified based discharges with a score of 3 or 4 on the all patient refined diagnostic related group (APR-DRG) severity of illness scale (4 indicating extreme severity of illness). Age, insurance type and status (Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, or uninsured), median income of patient zip-code, sex, and geography of patient residence were recorded. Descriptive statistics were analyzed among these patients.
Results :
24,829 inpatients with a principal diagnosis of eye disorder or disease and highest severity of illness were identified during the three-year period. 51.8% were male and most patients resided in large central metropolitan areas. Medicare insurance (50.1%) was the most prominent payer, and the average age of adult patients was 60.7. Most patients resided in large central metropolitan areas. Patients from low-income codes comprised a minority of patients with highest severity of illness (30%) and represented a decreasing percentage of these patients over time.
Conclusions :
Between 2014-2018, an increasing number of patients were hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of an eye condition and categorized with highest severity of illness during their hospital stay. Patients from low-income zip codes comprised a minority of these patients with decreasing prevalence over time. This study shows that low-income status may not be associated with increased severity of illness during hospitalization for eye diseases. Further studies involving specific eye conditions and complications are necessary to explore this conclusion.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.