5 Hospitalization Outcomes Following Neuropsychological Evaluation in a Traumatic Brain Injury Sample

Abstract

Objective:

Previous research has shown that positive outcomes are associated with receiving a neuropsychological evaluation (NPE). The current project examined hospitalization outcomes following an NPE in a sample of patients who had sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Hospitalization rates were compared between the two years pre- and two years post-evaluation. The role that insurance status plays on these health outcomes was also examined. This project is part of a growing effort to evaluate outcomes of clinical neuropsychological services in order to better characterize the broad health impacts of NPEs.

Participants and Methods:

Participants for the current study come from the Optum® de-identified Electronic Health Record dataset. The final sample included 245 patients who completed at least one NPE and were diagnosed with a TBI, according to ICD codes associated with their healthcare records. Patients were aged 21-87 (M = 51.55, SD = 16.74) with an average Charleston Comorbidity Index of 1.77 (SD = 2.41). The sample consisted of 124 females (50.6%), 121 males (49.4%). The majority of the sample identified as non-Hispanic white (N = 213; 86.9%), while 8.6% identified as another race or ethnicity. Regarding insurance, the most common insurance type was commercial (61.6%), followed by Medicare (13.5%), Medicaid (9.4%), and uninsured (6.5%). Those with unknown insurance status, race, or ethnicity were excluded from analyses of those variables.

Results:

Hospitalization incidence for the sample was significantly lower in the two years following a NPE, X2(1, N = 245) = 26.98, p < .001, compared to the two years prior. The mean number of hospitalizations were also lower following a NPE (t(244) = 4.83, p < .001). Insurance status did not show a significant main effect or interaction on mean number of hospitalizations over time. Regarding demographic variables, there was no significant main effects of race/ethnicity group or interaction between race/ethnicity and hospitalization rate change over time. However, there was a significant interaction between hospitalization rate change over time and gender (F(242) = 4.74, p = 0.030). A significant decrease in hospitalizations over time was seen for males (p < .001), while females showed a trend-level decrease that approached significance (p = .06).

Conclusions:

Consistent with previous research, significant reductions in hospitalization incidence and mean number of hospitalizations were seen following a NPE. This finding did not vary based on insurance status. However, hospitalization outcomes varied as a function of gender. These findings suggest that completing a NPE following a traumatic brain injury may contribute to improved hospitalization outcomes, but it does not appear that this benefit is seen equally for all patients. Insurance status may play a role in accessibility to care and hospitalization outcomes in this population, but that relationship is likely influenced by other factors, including racial identity, gender, and income. Future research is needed to investigate the extent that NPEs impact hospitalization rates in the broader context of insurance, demographic factors, and socioeconomic status.