Hospitalization cost trends for patients with impacted teeth: a double-breakpoint interrupted time series analysis

Area of Science:

• Health Economics
• Healthcare Management
• Dental Surgery

Background:

• Hospitalization costs and cost structures are critical metrics in healthcare.
• Impacted teeth represent a common surgical indication with associated healthcare expenditures.
• Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) payment reform and clinical pathway management are strategies to control healthcare costs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of DRG payment reform and clinical pathway management on hospitalization costs and cost structures for impacted teeth patients.
• To analyze changes in total and component costs before and after the implementation of these interventions.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of admission data for 1,206 impacted teeth patients from September 2021 to December 2024.
• Utilized a double-breakpoint interrupted time series analysis to assess cost trends.
• Identified intervention points for DRG reform (August 2022) and clinical pathway management (September 2023).

Main Results:

• Prior to DRG reform, consumable costs increased while nursing costs decreased.
• After DRG reform, nursing costs showed a significant increasing trend.
• Clinical pathway management led to significant decreases in total costs, consumables, treatment, nursing, medical services, insurance payments, and out-of-pocket expenses.

Conclusions:

• DRG reform alone did not significantly reduce hospitalization costs for impacted teeth.
• The integration of DRG reform with clinical pathway management was associated with optimized cost structures and reduced hospital stays.
• Further research is needed to validate the impact on clinical quality due to single-center and quasi-experimental design limitations.