Patient outcomes and cost analysis associated with an outpatient deep venous thrombosis treatment program.

Low-molecular-weight heparins are safe and effective for outpatient treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). An outpatient DVT treatment program was established in a 532-bed nonprofit teaching hospital. With the cooperation and skills of a multidisciplinary team, 125 patients were treated for acute DVT primarily at home over 26 months. Preliminary results demonstrated a drop in average length of hospitalization from 5.4 days before the program to 0.97 days. All patients successfully completed a course of enoxaparin, averaging 5.23 days, with 4.26 days of treatment as outpatients. One hundred twenty-two patients (97.6%) required no rehospitalization for any reason, including recurrence of DVT and bleeding complications, throughout the 90-day anticoagulation treatment course. The hospital achieved a cost avoidance of $2470.68/patient. For all 125 patients, total cost avoidance was $308,835.17.