Rehospitalization During the First 5 Years After the Onset of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: A Population-Based Study Using Administrative Billing Records.

OBJECTIVE

Our objective was to identify the number, length of stay, and charges of rehospitalizations during the subsequent 5 years after discharge from the initial hospitalization by using administrative billing records from a population-based cohort with spinal cord injury (SCI) in the southeastern United States.

DESIGN

Analysis of administrative billing data.

SETTING

State-based surveillance data analyzed by an academic medical center in the southeastern United States.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 1872 individuals (N=1872) from a state-based surveillance system in the southeastern United States whose onset was between January 1, 1998, and January 1, 2010.

INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcome measures were the number of rehospitalization episodes, length of stay, and total hospital charges for each episode of rehospitalization.

RESULTS

Seventy percent of participants were rehospitalized during the first 5 years after initial discharge, and the highest rehospitalization rates were in the first year (54%), being relatively stable in years 2-5 (21%-22%). Adjusted to 2019 US dollars, the average total rehospitalization charges were $214,716 per person during the 5 years. Participants who could walk independently had fewer rehospitalizations, fewer rehospitalization days, and less rehospitalization charges than the nonambulatory participants. College education was also associated with less rehospitalization charges.

CONCLUSIONS

Rehospitalization is a significant cost after SCI. Further longitudinal study on the population cohorts and billing data are needed to quantify these changes over time.