title: Economic Burden of Avoidable Hospitalizations among Patients with Cancer at Namazi Hospital in Shiraz, 2013
abstract: Introduction: Hospitalization of patients with cancer has a significant economic impact and avoidance where
  unnecessary has great potential for significant cost savings for patients, individual hospitals and the health system in
  general. Methods: Demographic, clinical and economical data were collected from medical records in our hospital
  retrospectively. Oncology clinicians reviewed medical records to categorize each hospitalization as “potentially
  avoidable” or “not avoidable.” Patient demographic and clinical data were abstracted and quantitative and qualitative
  analyses were performed to identify patient characteristics and outcomes associated with potentially avoidable
  hospitalizations. Finally data on the cost of the latter were estimated. Results: Of 451 hospitalizations, medical
  oncologists identified 55 (12.2%) as potentially avoidable. Avoiding these and caring for the patients in alternative
  locations would save some $ US 641,240 yearly. Among patients with avoidable hospitalization, 70.9% were males
  and the median age and median length of stay was 55 years and 4.7 days. Most of them had general signs (83.6%) and
  a fever body temperature lower than 38.5’C (96.4%). Lung, kidney and urinary tract cancers were the most common
  diagnoses (10.9%). The majority of avoidable hospitalized patients had local cancer (85.5%) and poor performance
  status (43.6%). The most prevalent procedure for patients with avoidable hospitalization was sonography and the least
  frequent were laboratory tests and MRI. Most cases received no treatment. Conclusion: Avoidable hospitalizations are
  common in patients with cancer. Age, final results of hospitalization and length of stay were established as significant
  variables for patients with avoidable hospitalization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Service Administration, School of Management and Information Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Email:  askariam@sums.ac.ir
authors.forename: Nahid
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hatam
authors.forename: Tannaz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fanusi
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dehghani
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vojdani
authors.forename: Mani
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ramzi
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Askarian
keywords: Avoidable hospitalization; economic burden; patients with cancer