title: Charging for intensive care using direct nursing hours as the cost marker.
abstract: The hypothesis that direct nursing hours correlate with the cost of a patient stay in intensive care was tested. One hundred and thirty-nine patients were studied and the data collected included: (a) direct nursing hours applied to each patient; (b) a daily TISS score: (c) a detailed costing of each patient (all costs are shown in N.Z.$). There was a strong correlation between the direct nursing hours and the total cost per patient (r2 = 0.98) (total cost = 54 x direct nursing hours + 344). Also a strong correlation existed between the total TISS scores and the total costs per patient (r2 = 0.96) (total cost = 67.13 x TISS). Direct nursing hours offer a relatively simple and logical method of allocating costs per patient.
authors.affiliation: Critical Care Department, Waikato Hospital, Hamilton, New Zealand.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Havill
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caspari
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: McConnell
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Montgomery
mesh_terms: D004180:Direct Service Costs; D005377:Financial Management, Hospital / Q000379:methods; D017722:Hospital Charges; D017721:Hospital Costs; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000191:economics*; D009520:New Zealand; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000191:economics*