Inpatient dermatology services lower mortality, readmission rates

BOSTON — Inpatient dermatology services correlated with lower mortality and readmission rates, according to data from a large, nationally representative study presented at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting.

Inpatient dermatology is an emerging subspecialty aimed at providing expert dermatologic care for hospitalized patients, according to the Society of Dermatology Hospitalists (SODH).

Pranav Puri, BA, and colleagues gathered national Medicare claims data to compare risk-adjusted mortality, readmissions, length of stay and cost at SODH hospitals with nonmember hospitals.

Data comprised 30,900 consecutive inpatient dermatology discharges from 1,912 teaching hospitals from January 2016 through November 2018.

After risk adjustment, the researchers found that patients admitted to SODH hospitals had lower 30-day mortality rates (OR = 0.76; 95% CI, 0.6-0.97) and 30-day readmission rates (OR = 0.88; 95% CI, 0.78-1).

Additionally, they found no differences in length of stay. However, the average cost of hospitalization was $850 higher at SODH hospitals (95% CI, $228-$931).

Puri and colleagues noted that the mechanisms driving lower mortality and readmission at SODH hospitals remain unclear. Other limitations include retrospective data, Medicare Free-for-Service payment population and SODH membership proxy.

The researchers suggest future studies align incentives through value-based payment models, telehealth dermatology services and artificial intelligence screening tools to increase access.