The severity classification system for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome hospitalizations. Association with survival after discharge and inpatient resource use.

The Severity Classification for AIDS Hospitalizations (SCAH) was applied to a longitudinal person-based data set of Maryland adult residents diagnosed with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) between 1983 and 1989 to predict long-term survival. In contrast to other AIDS severity measures, SCAH can be applied to administrative data bases for analyses of large populations. Although SCAH was created to predict inpatient mortality using cross-sectional hospital discharge data, the models used in this study show SCAH stage at first AIDS hospitalization to predict long-term survival in persons with AIDS, even after adjusting for sociodemographic and treatment variables. Additional models in the study show SCAH stage at first hospitalization has a strong association with inpatient length of stay and associated charges, making it useful for health care resource planning.