Measuring the cost of neonatal and perinatal care

This article provides an overview of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) treatment costs. It discusses data sources as well as the methods for measuring costs, contrasting the strengths and weaknesses of alternate approaches. In addition, detailed information on NICU treatment costs is presented from a nationally representative sample of 25 hospitals with NICUs. The sample consists of 3288 very low birth weight infants (