Analysis of the effect of disproportionately large share of low-income patients on psychiatric costs in general hospitals.
This study focuses on the disproportionate share payment adjustment of the Medicare Prospective Payment System and examines the relationship between share of low-income patients and the cost of inpatient psychiatric care. All general hospitals without distinct psychiatric units that treated more than 20 Medicare psychiatric patients in general medical-surgical beds are included in the cost analysis. The difference between official adjustment factors and the estimates of this analysis suggests that in 16% of the large urban disproportionate share hospitals poverty psychiatric cases are systematically underpaid.
Rupp
A
A
Taube
C A
CA
D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000191:economics*; D006786:Hospitals, Urban / Q000191:economics; D008489:Medical Indigency / Q000191:economics*; D006278:Medicare / Q000191:economics; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000191:economics*; D011445:Prospective Payment System; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital / Q000191:economics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States