Inpatient Oncology Length of Stay and Hospital Costs: Implications for Rising Inpatient Expenditures

Background: Cancer, which has consistently been a top five cause of death among the American public, consumes a large proportion of healthcare dollars. No literature exists documenting how the economic aspects of inpatient cancer care compare to those of other hospitalized patients. Objective: This study was designed to measure the demographics, cost, and outcomes of oncology inpatients (cases) and compare them to non-oncology inpatients (controls). Research Design: A retrospective casecontrol study from October 1, 2002 through September 30, 2003 was undertaken using a medical cost accounting database from a large tertiary care hospital. Age, race, case mix index (CMI), insurance status, length of stay (LOS),