Factors Associated With Patient Nonattendance in Rhinology Clinics.

BACKGROUND: Nonattendance to clinical appointments is a global problem appreciated by clinicians with an ambulatory presence. There are few reports of nonattendance in otolaryngology clinics, and no reports on nonattendance for a single otolaryngology subspecialty. OBJECTIVE: To describe the no-show population in rhinology clinics. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed involving rhinology clinics from 2 academic medical centers in the United States. All patients who either attended their clinic appointment(s) or did not attend without previously cancelling from June 2016 to May 2017 were included. Data collected included patient demographics, appointment status, season and time of visit, insurance status, type of visit (new vs established), and provider seen. RESULTS: There were 2791 clinical appointments evaluated over a 12-month period at 2 rhinology clinics involving 4 fellowship-trained rhinologists. Ninety-two percent of patients kept their appointments, while 8% did not. Sex, season of visit, time of visit (am vs pm), type of visit, provider sex, provider location, or provider's experience (<10 years vs ≥10 years) were not associated with patient's attendance status. Univariate analysis showed that patient's age ≤50 ( P = .001) and primary insurance type ( P < .001) were associated with nonattendance. Medicaid as the primary insurance type was associated with clinic nonattendance. Multivariable analysis showed that age ≤ 50 years, odds ratio (OR) 1.62 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-2.30), P = .007, and primary insurance type (Medicaid: OR 3.75 [95% CI 2.58-5.45], P < .001) remained significant predictors of nonattendance. CONCLUSION: Patients younger than 50 years and patients with Medicaid as the primary insurance types are associated with risk of missing rhinology clinic appointments. As a subspecialty, delivery of timely care and clinical efficiency could be improved by interventions directed toward improving attendance among this population.

Operative time and cost variability for functional endoscopic sinus surgery.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the variation in costs of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is critical to defining value. Current published costs of ESS have not identified potential sources of variation. Our objective was to analyze ESS costs to identify sources of variance that could guide value-improving decisions. METHODS: ESS cases (n = 1739) performed between 2008 and 2016 were identified from a database of 22 rural to tertiary facilities. Cost and time data were extracted from the database. Medical records were reviewed to confirm procedures. Three bilateral groupings were examined (n = 895 cases from 13 facilities): (1) full ESS (all sinuses); (2) intermediate ESS (total ethmoid, maxillary); and (3) anterior ESS (anterior ethmoid, maxillary). Cost and operative time were analyzed using multivariable gamma regression. RESULTS: Median costs for full, intermediate, and anterior ESS were $4281, $3716, and $2549 U.S. dollars (p < 0.001). Median durations were 87, 60, and 58 minutes (p < 0.001). Among patients with no additional procedures, those with full ESS had operative duration, total cost, and supply costs that were 1.37 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17 to 1.61), 1.52 (95% CI, 1.32 to 1.75), and 2.40 (95% CI, 1.76 to 3.25) times greater than anterior ESS, respectively (all p < 0.001). Intermediate ESS duration at community urban facilities was 1.87 (95% CI, 1.74 to 2.02) times that of community rural facilities (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Duration of surgery, extent of surgery, and location of surgery are sources of significant variation in the cost of ESS. These findings will assist healthcare policy makers, hospitals, and surgeons in optimizing the value of ESS.