[How significant is the comparison for length of stay in psychiatric hospitals based on diagnosis and age?].
OBJECTIVE
According to German Hospital Financing Regulations hospital comparisons are undertaken to serve as information basis to providers and purchasers concerning budget findings. The current purchasers' hospital comparison includes diagnosis and patients' age to compare costs between hospitals. This study aims at evaluating diagnosis, age and additional variables as predictors of length of stay for psychiatric inpatient treatment.


METHODS
Data of one year's admissions of a German state psychiatric hospital (N = 2450) were evaluated by a linear regression analysis.


RESULTS
The purchasers' model of diagnosis and age accounts for 10.5% of the variation of length of stay. A second model with additional sociodemographic and clinical variables accounts only for 11.3% of the variation.


CONCLUSIONS
Results of this study are confirmed by several international studies on length of stay in psychiatric hospitals. It is concluded that diagnosis and age do not account sufficiently for the variation of length of stay in psychiatry. Meaningful hospital comparisons should include disease specific clinical, biographical and sociodemographic measures.
Westf.Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Münster. d.richter@t-online.de
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D000367:Age Factors; D002017:Budgets / Q000639:trends; D003933:Diagnosis; D005858:Germany; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000191:economics
Krankenhausbetriebsvergleich für psychiatrische Kliniken--Wie sinnvoll ist ein Vergleich der Behandlungsdauern nach Diagnose und Alter?