Jose Morey MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Nora Marie Haney BS, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Penny B. Cooper, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Obesity is recognized as having a significant impact on healthcare. Given the increased cost of patient care associated with elevated BMI, it was our hypothesis that obesity would be associated with increased imaging utilization and radiology costs when compaired to normal BMI patients with all other factors equal. To our knowledge no other study has attempted to analyze obesity's impact on utilization and imaging costs.

The study was conducted from 2008 through 2012. Patients with pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute myocardial infarction, gastrointestinal bleed, sepsis, congestive heart failure (CHF), stroke, lung cancer, lymphoma, pulmonary embolism, and renal stone were analyzed. Patients were grouped by condition and BMI, but normalized based on age, sex, and Charlson Comorbidity Index. Every condition, except renal stone, cost more overall for patients with obese BMIs. Following this, the impact of obesity on the radiology department was evaluated to see if increased BMI caused increased radiology cost. Results demonstrated that sepsis and CHF episodes were associated with increased imaging costs in obese patients. Sepsis and CHF were further analyzed based on modality, indicating that x-ray imaging for sepsis and special procedures for CHF were associated with higher costs in obese patients as compared to patients with normal BMI.

Obese BMI status, keeping all other factors constant, was associated with increased imaging cost in patients with sepsis and CHF as compared to patients with these conditions and normal BMI status.

In an ACO environment, it is important to analyze what populations are at risk for increased utilization to control expenditures. The negative effects of obesity do not only impact our patients health but also cause increased utilization of healthcare commodities and drive up healthcare costs. We hypothesized that obesity caused increased imaging utilization and costs and found it to be statistically significant for sepsis and CHF. Evaluating and helping aid in image utilization will be a vital way in which radiology deparmtents can show value as more and more institutions evolve into ACOs.

Morey, J, Haney, N, Cooper, P, The Effect of Obesity on Radiological Cost and Utilization at a Community-based Hospital.  Radiological Society of North America 2014 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, - ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2014/14006546.html