Related Experiment Videos
Casemix and affective disorders: a comparison of private and public psychiatric systems
R D Goldney1, R H Elzinga, P Kent
1Adelaide Clinic, Gilberton, Australia.
Objective:
To determine whether there is a difference in length of stay for patients with affective disorders between private and public psychiatric hospitals.
Method:
The casemix Australian national diagnosis-related group (AN-DRG) diagnoses of all inpatient separations from private and public psychiatric hospitals in South Australia for 1 year were abstracted from records. The average length of stay for patients with affective disorders was calculated.
Results:
There was no significant difference in the average length of stay for patients with affective disorders treated in private and public psychiatric hospitals.
Conclusions:
These results should allay fears that the treatment of patients with affective disorders in any particular treatment setting will be compromised by the introduction of casemix.