The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #39027

Alan R. Morse, PhD, President and CEO, The Jewish Guild for the Blind, 15 West 65th Street, New York, NY 10023, 212-769-6215, armorse@jgb.org, Elaine S. Yatzkan, PhD, Director, Quality Assurance and Compliance, The Jewish Guild for the Blind, 15 West 65th Street, New York, NY 10023, and Raymond R. Arons, DrPH, School of Public Health, Columbia University, 600 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032.

This study reports on the impact of vision impairments on acute hospital Length of Stay (LOS) nationally over a twenty-year period from 1979-1999. This study expands on previous work (Morse, Yatzkan, Berberich & Arons “Acute care hospitalization by patients with visual impairment,” Arch Ophth. 117, July 1999:943-9) in which we reported on the relationship between vision impairment and hospital LOS for patients in the State of New York. In the study now being presented, data from the National Center for Health Statistics Twenty-year Survey of Inpatients was analyzed to evaluate changes in the impact of vision impairment on acute hospital LOS. This study examined the contribution of visual impairment to hospital inpatient average length of stay (ALOS) by analyzing ALOS of persons with visual impairment compared to ALOS of non-visually impaired patients, across DRG’s. Data were analyzed using multivariate models, controlling for variables of age, gender, payer source, disease, disorders and procedures. Excess LOS contributes to morbidity and, in addition, inappropriately uses healthcare resources. A better understanding of functional care needs of visually impaired hospital patients at discharge may contribute to reducing excess ALOS and related costs, simultaneously improving quality patient care.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session the learner will be able to

• Recognize that there is a relationship between vision impairment and hospital length of stay (LOS).
• Identify the functional and demographic factors that influence increased LOS of persons with vision impairment.
• Assess some of the consequences of longer LOS both on the patient and on the healthcare system.

Keywords: Vision Care, Access to Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.