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Comparative Cost Analysis of CRRT in ICU/CCU Patients Undergoing Cardiovascular Surgery Vs. Other Procedures at a Texas Hospital

Tejaswi Belavadi, MBBS, MPHc, Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health, University of North Texas, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76107, Alberto Coustasse, MD, MBA, MPH, DrPHc, Department of Social Behavioral Sciences, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard, Fort Worth, TX 76107-2699, 817-735-0150, coustasse@hotmail.com, Douglas Mains, DrPH, Department of Health Management and Policy, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard, Fort Worth, TX 76107, and Antonio A. Rene, PhD, MPH, Epidemiology ,School of Public Health, University of North Texas, 3500 Camp Bowie, Fort Worth, TX 76107.

The purpose of this study was to conduct a comparative analysis of hospital costs incurred by patients undergoing Cardiovascular Surgery (CVS) and patients undergoing other medical procedures who received Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) in a teaching hospital. A total of 120 patients were identified through review of medical charts for the period of January 1999 to August 2002. Twenty one percent of them were identified having CVS. Eighty-eight percent of the CVS patients admitted to the ICU for CRRT died compared to 67% for non-CVS patients (p=0.034). Average actual costs of hospitalization were $47,225 for CVS patients and $55,348 for non-CVS patients. The mean length of stay (LOS) was 12.8 days for the CVS patients and 19.2 days for other patients (p=0.058). Mean LOS for patients who survived was 24 days whereas the average LOS for patients who died was 14 days. Average cost of life-year saved for a CVS case was $1,473; whereas the mean cost for a life-year saved among non-CVS cases was $7,587. The differences found between patients who had CVS with CRRT as compared to non-CVS patients with CRRT in terms of mortality and length of stay raise questions of cost effectiveness of the procedure.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: Quality Improvement, Hospitals

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Health Administration Posters in Quality, Social/Behavior Environment and Structural

The 132nd Annual Meeting (November 6-10, 2004) of APHA