Elderly Female Arthritis Patient Analysis

Research Insight and Clinical Significance

Analysis Focus: This analysis highlights elderly female patients (ages 60–80) with arthritis admitted through emergency services. These patients often delay care until their symptoms become severe, underscoring challenges in proactive disease management and access to preventive healthcare.

Key Finding: The financial burden is significant, with an average hospital bill of $24,890 and a maximum charge of $47,734.99. The repeated pattern of emergency admissions indicates systemic gaps in arthritis management. These patients are not accessing outpatient or community-based care early enough, leading to costlier and more acute interventions.

Clinical Implications: For healthcare providers, these findings underscore the need for early intervention and ongoing monitoring of arthritis patients. Proactive management could reduce costly emergency visits. Strategies such as routine arthritis checkups, community exercise/rehabilitation programs, and telemedicine follow-ups can help lower admission rates. By anticipating higher demand from patients in their seventies, hospitals can also plan resources more efficiently.

Healthcare Policy Impact: Policy initiatives should focus on bridging access disparities for elderly women with arthritis. Insurance models could expand coverage for regular rheumatology visits, physical therapy, and preventive screenings. Community outreach and education programs would encourage patients to seek care earlier, reducing the average bill burden from nearly $25,000 per admission. At the systemic level, investing in geriatric care coordination and preventive models would ease emergency service dependency while lowering long-term healthcare costs.