title: Investigation of leukaemia and lymphoma AR-DRGs at a Sydney teaching hospital.
abstract: Using non-blinded methodology, this study checked the coding of acute leukaemia, non-acute leukaemia and lymphoma episodes assigned to the AR-DRGs R60 A, B, C and R61 A, B during the fiscal year 2000-2001 at a Sydney teaching hospital. The purpose was to investigate whether the assignment of fewer episodes of these diseases to the highest complexity AR-DRGs during that year compared to 1999-2000 was due to miscoding, or due to a true decrease in episodes. A check of all 242 episodes revealed a degree of miscoding (mainly under-coding) of complications and comorbidities that had caused a 15% DRG error rate; nevertheless, there was a true decrease in the highest complexity episodes. The error in DRG assignment may have caused some financial disadvantage to the hospital.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, PO Box 170, Lidcombe, NSW 1825, Australia. b.reid@fhs.usyd.edu.au
authors.forename: Beth A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Allan
authors.forename: Jean H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: McIntosh
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015897:Comorbidity; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups / Q000145:classification*; D005260:Female; D005568:Forms and Records Control / Q000145:classification*; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006786:Hospitals, Urban / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000145:classification*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000145:classification*; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records / Q000145:classification*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales; D012720:Severity of Illness Index