Purpose. Opioid-related adverse drug events (ORADEs) increase patient length of stay (LOS) and health care costs. However, ORADE rates may be underreported. This study attempts to understand the degree to which ORADEs are underreported in Medicare patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Materials and Methods. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrative claims database was used to identify ORADEs in 110 158 Medicare beneficiaries who underwent cardiac valve (n = 50 525) or coronary bypass (n = 59 633) surgery between April 2016 and March 2017. The International Classification of Disease (ICD)-10 codes specifically linked to ORADEs were used to identify an actual ORADE rate, while additional ICD codes, clinically associated with butas not specific to adverse drug events were analyzed as potential ORADEs. Length of stay (LOS) and hospital daily revenue were analyzed among patients with or without a potential ORADE. Results. Among patients undergoing valve or bypass surgery, the documented ORADE rate was 0.7% (743/110 158). However, potential ORADEs may have occurred in up to 32.4% (35 658/110 158) of patients. In patients with a potential ORADE, mean LOS was longer (11.4 vs 8.2 days; P < .0001) and mean Medicare revenue/day was lower ($4016 vs $4412; P < .0001). The mean net difference in revenue/day between patients with and without an ORADE varied between $231 and $1145, depending on the Diagnosis-Related Group analyzed. Conclusions. ORADEs are likely underreported following cardiac surgery. ORADEs can be associated with increased LOS and decreased hospital revenue. Understanding the incidence and economic impact of ORADEs may expedite changes to postoperative pain management. Adopting multimodal pain management strategies that reduce exposure to opioids may improve outcomes by reducing complications, side effects, and health care costs.
Introduction: Opioid-related adverse drug events (ORADEs) are an increasingly recognized complication associated with the common prescription of opioids after orthopedic surgery. In this study, we attempted to understand how potential ORADEs following hip replacement surgery in older patients affected hospital length of stay, hospital revenue, and their association with specific risk factors and clinically relevant diseases occurring during hospitalization. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrative Database to analyze Medicare discharges after hip replacement surgery to identify potential ORADEs. The impact of potential ORADEs on mean hospital length of stay (LOS) and hospital revenue was analyzed. Results: The potential ORADE rate in patients who underwent hip replacement surgery was 8.6%. The mean LOS for discharges with a potential ORADE was 1.41 days longer than that for discharges without an ORADE. The mean hospital revenue per day with a potential ORADE was US$1708 less than without an ORADE. Potential ORADEs were also found to be strongly associated with poor patient outcomes such as pneumonia, septicemia, and shock. Discussion: Potential ORADEs in hip replacement surgery in older patients are associated with longer hospitalizations, decreased hospital revenue per day, certain patient risk factors, and clinically relevant diseases occurring during hospitalizations. Our finding of an association between potential ORADEs and decreased hospital revenue per day may be attributed to the management of these adverse events, as a patient may need to undergo additional testing, may need additional treatment regimens, and may need a higher level of care. Conclusion: By reducing the use of opioids and employing a multimodal analgesic approach, we may improve patient care, decrease hospital lengths of stay, and increase hospital revenue
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