Hospital costs associated with post-traumatic stress disorder in somatic patients: a retrospective study

Abstract: Background
Post-traumatic stress disorder is likely to affect clinical courses in the somatic hospital ward when appearing as comorbidity. Thus, this study aimed to assess the costs associated with comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder in a somatic hospital and to analyze if reimbursement appropriately compensated additional costs.

Methods
The study used data from a German university hospital between 2011 and 2014, analyzing 198,819 inpatient episodes. Inpatient’s episodes were included for analysis if they had a somatic primary diagnosis and a secondary diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. Costs were calculated based on resource use and compared to reimbursement. Analyses were adjusted for sex, age and somatic comorbidities.

Results
N = 219 Inpatient’s episode were found with primary somatic disorder and a comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder. Inpatients episodes with comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder were compared to 34,229 control episodes, which were hospitalized with the same main diagnosis. Post-traumatic stress disorder was associated with additional hospital costs of €2311 [95%CI €1268 - €3355], while reimbursement rose by €1387 [€563 - €2212]. Results indicate that extra costs associated with post-traumatic stress disorder are not fully reimbursed. Male patients showed higher hospital costs associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. On average, post-traumatic stress disorder was associated with an extra length of stay of 3.4 days [2.1–4.6 days].

Conclusion
Costs associated with post-traumatic stress disorder were substantial and exceeded reimbursement, indicating an inadequate reimbursement for somatic patients with comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder

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• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Health economics review. - 10, 1 (2020) , 23, ISSN: 2191-1991

Classification and Topics

• Keyword: Posttraumatisches Stresssyndrom ; Sekundärkrankheit ; Krankheitskosten

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Freiburg
• (who): Universität
• (when): 2020
• Creator: Warth, Rieka von der ; Hehn, Philip ; Wolff, Jan ; Kaier, Klaus

Further information

• DOI: 10.1186/s13561-020-00281-0
• URN: urn:nbn:de:bsz:25-freidok-1665214
• Rights: Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.