The Importance of Improving the Quality of Care Among HIV/AIDS Hospitalizations in Portugal

Risk of Readmission Among HIV Patients in Public Portuguese Hospitals: Longitudinal Multilevel Population-Based Study

“…Admissions among HIV patients still pose considerable challenges to the Portuguese health system. In general, and despite the significant health reforms in Portugal in recent decades (8), HIV infection continues to be a main public health concern (9)(10)(11). In Portugal, costs associated with HIV/AIDS hospitalizations represent a substantial economic burden, ranked as the second major diagnosis category (12).…”

COVID-19: What Is Next for Portugal?

“…On the contrary, it will allow the health system to absorb an abrupt or unexpected increase in demand for medical resources, as in the case of COVID-19. As regards hospitals, hospitalizations or additional in-patient stays that consume a considerable amount of resources could be avoided with efficient treatment and management of chronic diseases, knowing that chronic diseases in Portugal consume a considerable amount of the health budget (29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34). We pointed out, in previous contributions (30,34), possible approaches to reduce the costs of healthcare in Portugal through integrating quality measures of hospitals' performance, namely thirty-day readmission rate and length of stay (LOS).…”

“…For example, in the United States, one in five Medicare beneficiaries has a thirty-day readmission, with a cost of around $26 billion per year (37,38). Accordingly, these measures have been widely used as a quality benchmark for health systems (30,(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44). Given the expected implications of COVID-19 on the Portuguese economy and the health sector, it is mandatory that policymakers adopt these measures to impact cost and quality through payment incentives for hospitals or health care providers.…”

“…We pointed out, in previous contributions ( 30 , 34 ), possible approaches to reduce the costs of healthcare in Portugal through integrating quality measures of hospitals' performance, namely thirty-day readmission rate and length of stay (LOS). Thirty-day hospital readmission is defined as an episode in which a patient is readmitted within 30 days from the last discharge.…”

“…LOS is defined as the number of days a patient is hospitalized in relation to the admission diagnosis. High rates of thirty-day readmissions or unnecessary delayed discharge that contributes to higher LOS have been recognized as frequent and costly events ( 30 , 35 – 37 ). For example, in the United States, one in five Medicare beneficiaries has a thirty-day readmission, with a cost of around $26 billion per year ( 37 , 38 ).…”