title: Use of statewide hospital discharge data to evaluate the economic burden of neurocysticercosis in Los Angeles County (1991-2008).
abstract: Statewide hospital discharge data were used to assess the economic burden of neurocysticercosis in Los Angeles County (LAC) from 1991 through 2008. A neurocysticercosis hospitalization was defined as having a discharge diagnosis of cysticercosis in addition to convulsions, seizures, hydrocephalus, cerebral edema or cerebral cysts. This study identified 3,937 neurocysticercosis hospitalizations, with the number of annual hospitalizations remaining relatively unchanged over the study period (R(2) = 0.01), averaging 219 per year (range 180-264). The total of all neurocysticercosis hospitalization charges over the study period was $136.2 million, averaging $7.9 million per year. The average charge per patient was $37.6 thousand and the most common payment method was Medicaid (43.9%), followed by private insurance (24.5%). The average length of stay was 7.2 days. The substantial number of hospitalizations and significant economic cost underscore the importance of neurocysticercosis in LAC.
authors.affiliation: Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Acute Communicable Disease Control Unit, Los Angeles, CA, USA. ccroker@ph.lacounty.gov
authors.forename: Curtis
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Croker
authors.forename: Roshan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Reporter
authors.forename: Laurene
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mascola
mesh_terms: D001929:Brain Edema / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000209:etiology; D007902:Length of Stay; D015141:Los Angeles; D020019:Neurocysticercosis / Q000191:economics* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012640:Seizures / Q000209:etiology; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000209:etiology