Impact of a nutrition support therapy on hospital-acquired infections: A value analysis.

BACKGROUND: Hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) have a direct impact on value, as they decrease quality and increase costs. Numerous interventions have been tried, including nutrition support therapy, with unknown effect on value. Therefore, a value analysis of nutrition support therapy on HACs was performed. METHODS: An extensive literature search was performed. Using the Medicare Parts A and B Claims 5% Sample data set, analytic claims modeling was conducted. RESULTS: The search identified 1099 studies, with eight meeting the inclusion criteria. All studies were performed on adult critically ill patients and focused on HA infections (HAIs) as the HAC. One study underwent Medicare claims modeling and revealed nutrition therapy has the potential of saving at least $104 million annually in Medicare patients with HAIs. CONCLUSION: Nutrition support therapy has the potential to reduce costs of Medicare spending in respect to HAIs.

Value of Nutrition Support Therapy: Impact on Clinical and Economic Outcomes in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: Healthcare leaders seek guidance on prudent investment in programs that improve patient outcomes and reduce costs, which includes the value of nutrition therapy. The purpose of this project was to conduct an evidence review and evaluate claims analyses to understand the financial and quality impact of nutrition support therapy on high-priority therapeutic conditions. METHODS: Task 1 included a review of existing literature from 2013 to 2018 to identify evidence that demonstrated the clinical and economic impact of nutrition intervention on patient outcomes across 13 therapeutic areas (TAs). In Task 2, analytic claims modeling was performed using the Medicare Parts A and B claims 5% sample dataset. Beneficiaries diagnosed in 5 selected TAs (sepsis, gastrointestinal [GI] cancer, hospital-acquired infections, surgical complications, and pancreatitis) were identified in the studies from Task 1, and their care costs were modeled based on nutrition intervention. RESULTS: Beginning with 1099 identified articles, 43 articles met the criteria, with a final 8 articles used for the Medicare claims modeling. As examples of the modeling demonstrated, the use of advanced enteral nutrition formula could save at least $52 million annually in a sepsis population. The total projected annual cost savings from the 5 TAs was $580 million. CONCLUSION: Overall, optimization of nutrition support therapy for specific patient populations is estimated to reduce Medicare spending by millions of dollars per year across key TAs. These findings demonstrate the evidence-based value proposition of timely nutrition support to improve clinical outcomes and yield substantial cost savings.