No Link Between ED Costs for Asthma Care and Odds of a Return Visit

While the cost of an emergency department (ED) visit for asthma varied by hundreds of dollars in one state, cost was not associated with the likelihood of an ED revisit within a week, according to a study published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine.

“Asthma is common, resulting in 53 million ED visits annually,” wrote corresponding author Martin F. Casey, MD, MPH, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, and coauthors. “Little is known about variation in cost and quality of ED asthma care.”

Researchers used the 2014 Florida State Emergency Department Database to investigate costs of ED visits for asthma for adults who were discharged home. The observational study also looked at 7-day revisit rates.

Among a total 54,060 adult ED visits for asthma in Florida in 2014, the median cost was $597, with an interquartile range of $371 to $980, according to study findings.

The 7-day ED revisit rate for asthma was 3%. Hospital costs for the initial episode of care were not associated with return ED visits.

“After adjusting for both patient and hospital characteristics, lack of insurance was associated with higher odds of revisit (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.18-1.71),” reported researchers, “while private insurance, female gender, and older age were associated with lower odds of revisit.”

Reference:
Casey MF, Richardson LD, Weinstock M, Lin MP. Cost variation and revisit rate for adult patients with asthma presenting to the emergency department. Am J Emerg Med. 2022;61:179-183. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2022.09.021