Health Care Costs 1 Year After Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury.
OBJECTIVE
This study sought to estimate total health care costs for mild, moderate, and severe pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to compare individual- and population-level costs across levels of TBI severity.


METHODS
Using 2007 to 2010 MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters data, we estimated total quarterly health care costs 1 year after TBI among enrollees (aged < 18 years). We compared costs across levels of TBI severity using generalized linear models.


RESULTS
Mild TBI accounted for 96.6% of the 319 103 enrollees with TBI; moderate and severe TBI accounted for 1.7% and 1.6%, respectively. Adjusted individual health care costs for moderate and severe TBI were significantly higher than mild TBI in the year after injury (P < .01). At the population level, moderate and severe TBI costs were 88% and 75% less than mild TBI, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Individually, moderate and severe TBI initially generated costs that were markedly higher than those of mild TBI. At the population level, costs following mild TBI far exceeded those of more severe cases, a result of the extremely high population burden of mild TBI.
All of the authors are with the Harborview Injury and Research Center (HIPRC), Seattle, WA. Janessa M. Graves is also with the College of Nursing, Washington State University Spokane. Frederick P. Rivara is also with the Departments of Epidemiology and Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle. Monica S. Vavilala is also with the Departments of Pediatrics and Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, University of Washington.
Janessa M
JM
Graves
All of the authors are with the Harborview Injury and Research Center (HIPRC), Seattle, WA. Janessa M. Graves is also with the College of Nursing, Washington State University Spokane. Frederick P. Rivara is also with the Departments of Epidemiology and Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle. Monica S. Vavilala is also with the Departments of Pediatrics and Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, University of Washington.
Frederick P
FP
Rivara
All of the authors are with the Harborview Injury and Research Center (HIPRC), Seattle, WA. Janessa M. Graves is also with the College of Nursing, Washington State University Spokane. Frederick P. Rivara is also with the Departments of Epidemiology and Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle. Monica S. Vavilala is also with the Departments of Pediatrics and Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, University of Washington.
Monica S
MS
Vavilala
D015998:Abbreviated Injury Scale; D000293:Adolescent; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology