title: Payor mix of trauma patients at a rural-metropolitan regional trauma center: a three-year experience.
abstract: The development of a statewide trauma system will depend on designation of community hospitals as trauma centers. The financial impact of such designation will be a prime concern. The payor mix of trauma patients will be one of the deciding factors as to whether hospitals will agree to accept designation. A three-year review of payor class on discharge for 2,605 trauma and 55,041 nontrauma admissions to a nonuniversity teaching hospital is presented. Sixty-four percent of all trauma admissions had third-party payor insurance coverage, compared with 72% of all nontrauma admissions (P less than .00001). Twenty-seven percent of trauma admissions were for penetrating injury. Sixty-eight percent of patients admitted for blunt trauma had third-party coverage, while 50% of those admitted for penetrating trauma had third-party coverage. Total commercial insurance coverage was higher for trauma patients than for nontrauma admissions. The payor class mix for trauma patients presented may be representative of similar institutions in a similar geographic setting and may offer assistance to hospitals considering the financial impact of trauma center designation.
authors.affiliation: Trauma Services, Memorial Medical Center, Inc, Savannah, Georgia 31403.
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Boyd
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Saleeby
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Wood
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002056:Burns / Q000191:economics; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005382:Financing, Personal; D005845:Georgia; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007349:Insurance, Health, Reimbursement; D007350:Insurance, Hospitalization / Q000191:economics*; D008484:Medicaid / Q000191:economics; D008489:Medical Indigency; D006278:Medicare / Q000191:economics; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012424:Rural Population; D014193:Trauma Centers / Q000191:economics*; D014505:Urban Population; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000191:economics*; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000191:economics; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000191:economics