The financing of coronary artery bypass surgery

The costs and charges for coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) are discussed. A paucity of national information is available; thus, more detailed data from the Maryland hospital experience are presented. The data show the interrelationship of charges, lengths of stay, sex, age and payor category. At a time when the primary concern for health care seems to be shifting from resource use to governmental budget expenditures, the data suggest that relatively few government dollars are paying for CABG.