title: A comparison of the direct cost of care in an open-bay and single-family room NICU.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This research examined the proposition that the direct costs of care were no different in an open-bay (OPBY) as compared with a single-family room (SFR) neonatal intensive care (NICU) environment.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a sequential cohort study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  General linear models were implemented using clinical and cost data for all neonates admitted to the two cohorts studied. Costs were adjusted to year 2007 U.S. dollars. Models were constructed for the unadjusted regression and subsequently by adding demographic variables, treatment variables, length of respiratory support and length of stay. With the exception of the last, none were found to achieve significance. The full model had R(2)=0.799 with P=0.0095 and predicted direct costs of care less in the SFR NICU.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For the time, location and administrative practices in place, this study demonstrates that care can be provided in the SFR NICU at no additional cost as compared with OPBY NICU.
authors.affiliation: 1] Boekelheide Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Sanford Children's Hospital, Sioux Falls, SD, USA [2] Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA.
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.affiliation: 1] Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA [2] Sanford Research, Sanford Health System, Sioux Falls, SD, USA.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: 1] Boekelheide Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Sanford Children's Hospital, Sioux Falls, SD, USA [2] Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA.
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Helseth
authors.affiliation: 1] Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA [2] Sanford Children's Hospital, Sioux Falls, SD, USA.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: 1] Boekelheide Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Sanford Children's Hospital, Sioux Falls, SD, USA [2] Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA.
authors.forename: M Akram
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: 1] Boekelheide Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Sanford Children's Hospital, Sioux Falls, SD, USA [2] Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA.
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Munson
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D006749:Hospital Design and Construction / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal / Q000191:economics*; D007902:Length of Stay; D016014:Linear Models; D005791:Patient Care / Q000191:economics*; D010362:Patients' Rooms