title: [Is the claiming of costs justifiable in Jehovah's witness surgical patients after healthcare that is not part of the public health system?].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Jehovah's witnesses refuse blood transfusions. The conflict arises when the patient, entitled to public health treatment, come to surgical centres without blood, to later claim the costs incurred.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyse the legal claims for the refunding of costs by Jehovah's witnesses treated outside the public health system. To make a cost comparison regarding this, using Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs) in a similar hypothetical healthcare model and equal to a stay in our hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was made of the High, Constitutional, and Supreme Court rulings. A cost analysis was made using the clinical information obtained in the rulings, to process this in the DRG in our hospital using 3MHealth Information Systems.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The State is not obliged to finance religious aspects or those outside the general interest. The establishment of working protocols would avoid ethical conflicts. There are very difficult to justify differences in the costs demanded, 431,001.66 €, and compared to a model with an equal stay, 397,404.48 €.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Cirugía General y de Aparato Digestivo, Hospital General Universitario, Ciudad Real, España. davidp@jccm.sescam.es
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Padilla
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Villarejo
authors.forename: María Antonia
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Marcote
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Molina
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Menéndez
authors.forename: Nieves
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ballester
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pardo
authors.forename: Mariano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pérez-Sauquillo
authors.forename: Teófilo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cubo
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martín
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D033221:Jehovah's Witnesses; D011634:Public Health; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000191:economics*