First year hospitalisation costs for the spinal cord injured patient.

This retrospective, descriptive study presents the actual first year hospitalisation costs for a series of 85 spinal cord injured patients, covered by Workmen's Compensation Insurance and cared for in a variety of United States institutions. Mean first year hospital costs for all patients was $35,767. For quadriplegics, $42,240; and paraplegics, $32.619. During initial hospitalisation only, the average length of stay was 184 days and mean cost was $28.637. Room and board comprised 52 per cent of cots; special services, 36 per cent and professional services, 11 per cent. Major special service costs were private duty nursing, medications, medical supplies, respiratory and physical therapy. Major professional charges were centred in the surgical and physical medicine specialties. Home care costs averaged $4000 per patient or $37.00 per day. When compared with the other studies, the costs presented here are higher though the differential is reduced markedly when median rather than mean costs are presented. When compared with the one other known study based on actual and not estimated costs, the results are markedly similar. Differences in costs between this and other studies and the reasons for same are discussed.