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Patient Loss to Follow-up After Upper Extremity Surgery: A Review of 2563 Cases
- Source :
- Hand (N Y)
- Publication Year :
- 2018
- Publisher :
- SAGE Publications, 2018.
-
Abstract
- Background: Postoperative care is essential to optimizing patient outcome. We sought to determine the incidence and associated demographic and surgical factors of postoperative patient loss to follow-up following hand and upper extremity surgery. Methods: In all, 2834 surgical cases (2467 patients) were retrospectively reviewed. All surgical cases from July 2014 to June 2015 at a single practice with five surgeons were assessed. Charts were reviewed for compliance with postoperative follow-up. Variables were described with proportions and compared using logistic regression analysis. Results: In total, 2563 cases (2388 patients) met the inclusion criteria. Overall loss to follow-up rate was 26%. Patients lost to follow-up based on insurance type were 13% for worker’s compensation, 22% for private insurance, 21% for Medicare, 38% for Medicaid, and 44% for self-pay. Patients with expected short-term follow-up were lost at a 23% rate. Expected mid- and long-term follow-up patients were lost at 34% and 20% rates, respectively. Patients below 30 years old were lost to follow-up at a 42% rate compared to patients 30 to 64 years old (26%) and greater than or equal to 65 years (13%). Males had a higher rate of loss to follow-up, 32%, compared with females (22%). Patients living greater than 50 miles from our surgery center were lost to follow-up at a rate of 31%, compared with those who lived less than 50 miles (25%). Conclusions: We have identified demographic variables associated with patients being lost to follow-up after hand and upper extremity surgery. With this knowledge, we hope to develop methods of either improving in-office follow-up rates or discover new avenues to deliver postoperative care.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Insurance type
030230 surgery
Medicare
Logistic regression
Postoperative management
Upper Extremity
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Humans
Medicine
Orthopedic Procedures
Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
Private insurance
Lost to follow-up
Aged
Retrospective Studies
Surgery Articles
030222 orthopedics
Insurance, Health
Medicaid
business.industry
Incidence (epidemiology)
Upper extremity surgery
Middle Aged
United States
Surgery
Logistic Models
Workers' Compensation
Female
Lost to Follow-Up
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15589455 and 15589447
- Volume :
- 14
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- HAND
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....a521c818dc625ff262998f1d7eb155d7