title: Factors predicting the total medical costs associated with first-ever ischeamic stroke patients transferred to the rehabilitation ward.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the predictors of total medical costs for first-ever ischaemic stroke patients transferred to the rehabilitation ward from the acute ward.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 311 first-ever ischaemic stroke patients (mean age 68.9 (standard deviation (SD) 12.2) years).
  
  
  METHODS
  Data, including common complications and medical events, from July 2002 to June 2012 were collected retrospectively from a regional hospital in Taiwan in order to study the potential predictors for medical costs. Significant variables from univariate analysis were included in a stepwise multivariate linear regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean total medical cost per patient was USD 4,606.80 (SD 2,926.10). The significant predictors for cost were days of total stay (coefficient: 70.3; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 56.4-84.3), impaired consciousness (coefficient: 1,031.3; 95% CI = 490.8-1,571.8), hypoalbuminaemia in the acute ward (coefficient: 2,045.1; 95% CI = 1,054.6-3,035.7), fever (coefficient: 927.0; 95% CI = 193.3-1,660.7), hypokalaemia (coefficient: 2,698.4; 95% CI = 660.5-4,736.4), and hyponatraemia (coefficient: 1,123.3; 95% CI = 72.2-2,174.5) in the rehabilitation ward (R2 = 0.416).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings can help clinicians to identify risk factors for total medical costs in these patients and reduce costs by minimizing some complications (hypoalbuminaemia, fever, hypokalaemia, and hyponatraemia).
authors.affiliation: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, 613 Puzih, Taiwan. fateman53@yahoo.com.tw.
authors.forename: Chien-Min
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chia-Hao
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Hung-Chih
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Chu-Hsu
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Kai-Hua
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D017721:Hospital Costs; D006748:Hospital Departments / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D010360:Patient Transfer / Q000191:economics*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000191:economics*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D013624:Taiwan