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Transferred patients--more complex and more costly?
1Intensive Care Unit, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC. buttw@cryptic.rch.unimelb.edu.au
The Medical Journal of Australia
|November 27, 1998
Summary
Patient transfer may indicate illness severity, influencing resource use. Collecting data on transferred patients can refine diagnostic-related group (DRG) systems for better accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Health economics
- Healthcare management
- Clinical informatics
Background:
- The current diagnostic-related group (DRG) system incorporates illness severity and complexity.
- Age is frequently utilized as an indicator of patient illness severity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate if patient transfer is a valid marker for illness severity and resource utilization.
- To determine if DRG systems require refinement based on transfer data.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from transferred patients, including costs and outcomes.
- Review of existing studies on patients transferred to intensive care units.
Main Results:
- Patient transfers may signify higher illness severity and complexity.
- Transfers can be indicative of increased resource utilization.
Conclusions:
- Collecting comprehensive data on costs and outcomes for all transferred patients is recommended.
- Refinements to DRG systems may be necessary based on the analysis of transfer data.