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State-based surveillance: Rising cost of fall-related hospitalization in Texas
Purpose: We examined the cost of fall-related hospitalization among adults age 65 years and older for 2011 and 2013 in Texas.
Methods: The 2011 (n=2,937,634) and 2013 (n=2,910,853) Texas Hospital Inpatient Discharge Public Use Data Files were used to analyze cost among older adults experiencing fall-related hospitalizations. ICD-9 codes were used to categorize fall-related hospitalization. The total fall-related costs were calculated based on accommodation charges, non-covered accommodation charges, ancillary charges, and non-covered ancillary charges.
Results: The number of fall-related hospitalizations rose from 49,299 in 2011 to 54,640 in 2013 among older adults. Subsequently, the total cost of fall-related hospitalizations increased from $2.5 billion in 2011 to $3.2 billion in 2013 among older adults. In addition, the average cost of fall-related hospitalizations rose from $50,280 in 2011 to $59,010 in 2013.
Conclusion: Identifying the incidence and cost of fall-related hospitalizations could help inform stakeholders (e.g., researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers) about the magnitude of falls in their states. Better understanding the cost-burden for fall-related hospitalization can help inform targeted interventions to slow the growing but preventable cost of falls across the U.S. This study can serve as a model for other states in the ongoing surveillance of the burden of falls.
Learning Areas:
Biostatistics, economicsEpidemiology
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related public policy
Public health or related research
Learning Objectives:
Describe the incidence of fall-related hospitalizations across Texas;
Evaluate factors associated with fall-related hospitalizations including geographic and programmatic difference.
Keyword(s): Health Care Costs
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to be an abstract author on the content I am responsible for because I have successfully completed an MPH & a PhD in Public Health, am Certified in Public Health by the National Board of Public Health Examiners and am currently serving as an Assistant Professor and Postdoctoral fellow in the department of Health Promotion & Community Health Sciences at Texas A&Mâs Health Science Center.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.