Journal article
Hospital length of stay for children and adolescents diagnosed with depression: is primary payer an influencing factor?
General hospital psychiatry, Vol.30(1), pp.73-76
2008
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/105996
PMID: 18164944
Abstract
This study aimed (a) to discern the distribution by primary payer (public vs. private) of U.S. patients aged 5–18 years who were hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of depression and (b) to discern the mean hospital length of stay and mean charge per day by payer type.
The 2003 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database was used for this analysis. Depression was defined as
International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification codes 296.2–296.36, 300.4 or 311. Differences in hospital length of stay and mean cost per day by payer type were discerned via adjusted least square mean analysis (±S.E.).
The adjusted mean hospital length of stay was significantly higher (
P<.0001) for patients with a public payer (6.6±0.05 days) versus a private payer (5.3±0.05 days). Although statistically significant (
P<.0001), the adjusted mean charge per day differed little by payer type (public, US$1316.39±9.82; private, US$1357.51±9.07).
Further research is required to discern whether observed differences in hospital length of stay are the result of private payers enhancing patient care, thereby discharging patients in a more efficient manner, or the patients being discharged prematurely from the hospital due to constraints in reimbursement by private payers.
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Details
- Title
- Hospital length of stay for children and adolescents diagnosed with depression: is primary payer an influencing factor?
- Creators
- David A Sclar - Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmacoepidemiology Research Unit, Washington State University, P.O. Box 646510, Pullman, WA 99164-6510, USALinda M Robison - Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmacoepidemiology Research Unit, Washington State University, P.O. Box 646510, Pullman, WA 99164-6510, USACorrine Gavrun - Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmacoepidemiology Research Unit, Washington State University, P.O. Box 646510, Pullman, WA 99164-6510, USATracy L Skaer - Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmacoepidemiology Research Unit, Washington State University, P.O. Box 646510, Pullman, WA 99164-6510, USA
- Publication Details
- General hospital psychiatry, Vol.30(1), pp.73-76
- Academic Unit
- Pharmacotherapy, Department of
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- Identifiers
- 99900547092001842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article