title: The DRG hospital payment system, surgical readmissions and cost containment.
abstract: We analyzed all adult surgical patients requiring readmission to the surgical service of an acute care academic hospital for a four-year period (1/1/85-12/31/88). We stratified surgical readmissions by the number of times the patient was readmitted to surgery (from one to five times). For surgical patients 41.1 per cent of the readmission population was readmitted more than once, only 4.4 per cent were readmitted five or more times. Patients requiring three or more admissions generally had the greatest hospital resource utilization, financial risk under DRG payment, and mortality, compared with other surgical readmissions. This analysis suggests that within the surgical readmission population resource parameters may differ by the number of readmissions per patient. Factors were identified which corresponded to a greater likelihood of surgical readmission, and possibly allow the focus of outpatient services which may reduce hospital inpatient costs in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, New York 11042.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Munoz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Lory
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Brewster
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Kahn
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wise
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000191:economics; D000328:Adult; D003363:Cost Control / Q000639:trends; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D004469:Economics, Hospital / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000191:economics; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors