Costs of triplet pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE
Our purpose was to describe the total costs involved in the delivery, prenatal, and neonatal care for triplet pregnancies.


METHODS
Twenty triplet pregnancies were born at our institution over the 1-year period between July 1, 1992, and June 30, 1993. Total charges for prenatal care, physician fees, antepartum admissions, delivery, postpartum inpatient and outpatient care, and neonatal inpatient and outpatient care were extracted from the hospital billing computers.


RESULTS
Our 20 triplet pregnancies were delivered of 54 live born infants at an average gestation of 30.2 weeks. Mothers averaged 16.7 inpatient hospital days. Total cost of prenatal care, outpatient laboratories and ultrasonography, delivery, and maternal inpatient care averaged $27,491. Neonates averaged 13.7 hospital days. Total neonatal costs for the inpatient stay and short term-postpartum (< 6 week) outpatient period was $36,856 per family. Total average cost per family was $64,347.


CONCLUSIONS
Combined maternal and neonatal costs per individual baby delivered was approximately $21,000. Although expensive, this cost is far from prohibitive, even in times of close attention to health care expenditures.
Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tufts University School of Medicine-New England Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111.
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Chelmow
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Penzias
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Kaufman
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Cetrulo
D001900:Boston; D005260:Female; D017722:Hospital Charges / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017721:Hospital Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000191:economics; D009775:Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital / Q000191:economics*; D011181:Postnatal Care / Q000191:economics; D011247:Pregnancy; D011272:Pregnancy, Multiple; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000191:economics; D014310:Triplets