Seven-Day ED Visit Rate After Outpatient Colonoscopy as a Quality Indicator

Recently, a new quality indicator for outpatient colonoscopy has been instituted: the rate of emergency department (ED) visits within 7 days after an outpatient colonoscopy (on a facility basis).

In a single-center retrospective study of more than 50,000 outpatient colonoscopies in some 45,000 individuals during a 5-year period, the rate of ED visits within 7 days of colonoscopy was 0.8%. Two thirds of those visits were considered related to the procedure. Predictors of ED visits included an ED visit in the previous month (odds ratio, 16.6), endoscopic mucosal resection (OR, 4.7), number of medication classes prescribed (OR, 1.2), and the endoscopist's adenoma detection rate (OR, 1.1). White race predicted a lower risk for ED visit (OR, 0.8)…