Mp69-06 the Operational Burden in the Management of Utis in an Outpatient Academic Practice

You have accessJournal of UrologyInfections/Inflammation/Cystic Disease of the Genitourinary Tract: Kidney & Bladder I (MP69)1 May 2024MP69-06 THE OPERATIONAL BURDEN IN THE MANAGEMENT OF UTIS IN AN OUTPATIENT ACADEMIC PRACTICE Abinav Udaiyar, Katerina Lembrikova, Avi Slavin, and Debra Fromer Abinav UdaiyarAbinav Udaiyar , Katerina LembrikovaKaterina Lembrikova , Avi SlavinAvi Slavin , and Debra FromerDebra Fromer View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/01.JU.0001008892.86171.de.06AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common, highly prevalent, and often recur. Due to the recurring and unpredictable nature of UTI and the association with common comorbidities, urology offices may be required to carry out frequent, time-consuming, non-billable patient interactions such as lengthy phone calls and repeated messaging. This is an IRB approved study that aims to identify factors that may impact this clinical burden on urology practices. METHODS: A total of 580 patients with a diagnosis of UTI who visited a practice with four urologists (two male and two female) were identified by CPT code between 12/1/2021 and 6/15/2022. A representative sample of 250 of these 580 patients was selected consecutively based on patient ID assignment by the hospital system for preliminary analysis. All telephone encounters, messages via EMR, and office visits were reviewed and calculated. A clinical burden ratio was determined for each patient by calculating the ratio of the non-billable events to billable office-based encounters. Data was analyzed via unpaired t-test. RESULTS: The mean age was 64.6 years (SD=17.5). The racial demographics included Caucasian (71.6%), African American (4.8%), Asian (8%), and multiracial (0.8%) patients. The remainder was unreported (14.8%). As shown in Table 1, our patient population was overwhelmingly female (229, 87.8%). The clinical burden ratio was significantly higher for female patients and those older than age 60. Female urologists carried a significantly higher clinical burden ratio than their male counterparts. There was no significant difference in the clinical burden among patients with a history of diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and nephrolithiasis. CONCLUSIONS: In this population, non-billable encounters such as messages and phone calls exceeded billable events, particularly for female patients and those older than 60 years of age. Female urologists absorbed the greater burden when compared to their male colleagues. There was no difference in the ratio of non-billable to billable events when looking at selected comorbidities. This difference highlights one of the clinical management disparities between male and female urologists and underscores the well-known gender pay gap in our field. Source of Funding: No funding source © 2024 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 211Issue 5SMay 2024Page: e1120 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2024 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.Metrics Author Information Abinav Udaiyar More articles by this author Katerina Lembrikova More articles by this author Avi Slavin More articles by this author Debra Fromer More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...