Hospital nutrition care informs potential cost-savings for healthcare: A budget impact analysis.
Healthcare costs
Hospitalized patients
Malnutrition
Mexico
Oral nutritional supplements
Journal
Clinical nutrition ESPEN
ISSN: 2405-4577
Titre abrégé: Clin Nutr ESPEN
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101654592
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
04 2021
04 2021
Historique:
received:
25
08
2020
revised:
26
01
2021
accepted:
30
01
2021
entrez:
22
3
2021
pubmed:
23
3
2021
medline:
25
9
2021
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
In Mexico, about half of hospitalized patients are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition upon hospital admission, while many others experience deterioration of their nutritional status while in the hospital. Such patients often experience poor health outcomes and have increased hospital costs. The aim of our budget-impact analysis was to estimate potential savings associated with the implementation of a Mexican hospital-based program of nutrition care for patients at malnutrition risk or malnourished. The budget-impact model was based on data published previously. Our model compared patients assigned to receive individualized early nutrition therapy (initiated within 24-48 h of hospital admission) with those who received standard delayed nutrition therapy (not initiated early). Outcomes included length of stay, infectious complications, and 30-day readmissions. We modeled a 30-day time-horizon, estimated event probabilities on the basis of published data, and projected costs in 2020 US dollars. Average total healthcare costs over 30-days were $3527 for patients with early nutrition therapy vs $6032 for patients with standard nutrition therapy-a savings of $2505 per early nutrition-treated patient (41.5% lower). Cost differences between the groups were $2336 vs $3065 for hospital-associated costs (23.8% lower), $262 vs $780 for 30-day readmissions (66.4% lower) and $1348 for malnutrition-associated infections. Applying these potential savings from individualized early nutrition care to a one-year estimate of 3.22 million Mexican hospital patients with malnutrition or its risk, the total overall savings for public health expenditures was equivalent to $8.1 billion per year or 32.1% of total healthcare expenditures. The results demonstrated the potential for hospital-based nutrition care programs to reduce costs of patient hospitalizations. These notable findings provide a rationale for Mexican healthcare institutions to implement programs of comprehensive nutrition-focused care for inpatients with malnutrition or its risk. To this end, we advise implementation of professional programs for education and training in order to increase awareness of patients' nutritional needs and to better prepare clinical personnel to identify, treat, and monitor patients at-risk/malnourished.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND AND AIM
In Mexico, about half of hospitalized patients are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition upon hospital admission, while many others experience deterioration of their nutritional status while in the hospital. Such patients often experience poor health outcomes and have increased hospital costs. The aim of our budget-impact analysis was to estimate potential savings associated with the implementation of a Mexican hospital-based program of nutrition care for patients at malnutrition risk or malnourished.
METHODS
The budget-impact model was based on data published previously. Our model compared patients assigned to receive individualized early nutrition therapy (initiated within 24-48 h of hospital admission) with those who received standard delayed nutrition therapy (not initiated early). Outcomes included length of stay, infectious complications, and 30-day readmissions. We modeled a 30-day time-horizon, estimated event probabilities on the basis of published data, and projected costs in 2020 US dollars.
RESULTS
Average total healthcare costs over 30-days were $3527 for patients with early nutrition therapy vs $6032 for patients with standard nutrition therapy-a savings of $2505 per early nutrition-treated patient (41.5% lower). Cost differences between the groups were $2336 vs $3065 for hospital-associated costs (23.8% lower), $262 vs $780 for 30-day readmissions (66.4% lower) and $1348 for malnutrition-associated infections. Applying these potential savings from individualized early nutrition care to a one-year estimate of 3.22 million Mexican hospital patients with malnutrition or its risk, the total overall savings for public health expenditures was equivalent to $8.1 billion per year or 32.1% of total healthcare expenditures.
CONCLUSIONS
The results demonstrated the potential for hospital-based nutrition care programs to reduce costs of patient hospitalizations. These notable findings provide a rationale for Mexican healthcare institutions to implement programs of comprehensive nutrition-focused care for inpatients with malnutrition or its risk. To this end, we advise implementation of professional programs for education and training in order to increase awareness of patients' nutritional needs and to better prepare clinical personnel to identify, treat, and monitor patients at-risk/malnourished.
Identifiants
pubmed: 33745577
pii: S2405-4577(21)00056-5
doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2021.01.041
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
195-200Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Declaration of competing interest S Sulo, G Gomez, and JD Misas are employees and stockholders of Abbott. J Vargas received funding for the model development by Abbott. MITD Correia has received honoraria and funding from Abbott, Nestle, Baxter, Fresenius Kabi, Danone, and Takeda. AE Serralde-Zúñiga reports no conflicts of interest.