[The cost estimator in the TraumaRegister DGU]

Area of Science:

• Trauma surgery
• Health economics
• Medical informatics

Background:

• Estimating treatment costs for severely injured patients is crucial for registry-based analyses.
• The TraumaRegister DGU® previously used a modular cost estimator.
• A recent study evaluated German DRG system reimbursements for severely injured patients, leading to an improved cost estimator.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an updated and improved cost estimator for the TraumaRegister DGU®.
• To validate the accuracy of the new cost estimator against real-world treatment costs.

Main Methods:

• Matched detailed cost data from 10 hospitals with TraumaRegister DGU® data.
• Used multivariate regression analysis with hospital costs as the dependent variable for patients with Injury Severity Score (ISS) ≥ 9.
• Coded all injuries using the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) and analyzed 1002 matched patient cases from 2007-2008.

Main Results:

• Key cost drivers identified: ICU length of stay, intubation/ventilation duration, normal ward stay, blood product transfusions, severe abdominal injuries, unstable pelvic fractures, and severe extremity injuries.
• The developed formula estimated average treatment costs at €22,138 per case.
• The estimated costs showed a deviation of less than 3% from the measured real costs (€21,546 per case).

Conclusions:

• An accurate cost estimator for acute care costs is now available for the TraumaRegister DGU®.
• This tool utilizes readily available registry data for cost estimation.
• The improved estimator enhances the value of registry-based analyses for severely injured patients.