Aims. (1) To assess the efficacy and safety of pediatric office-based sedation for ophthalmologic procedures using a pediatric sedation service model. (2) To assess the reduction in hospital charges of this model of care delivery compared to the operating room (OR) setting for similar procedures. Background. Sedation is used to facilitate pediatric procedures and to immobilize patients for imag...

THE STATISTICAL system of the Social Security Administration records the use of and the charges for covered hospital nnd medical services under health insurance for the aged (Medicare). The system’s operation depends on the receipt of hospital and medical bills sent to and paid by intermediaries and carriers throughout, the coulltry. Substantial delays in the statistical reporting of current in...

BACKGROUND The United States has a high proportion of people without health insurance (15%) and a low proportion of people without employment (5%), resulting in millions who lack insurance but have some ability to pay. We tested whether hospitals charge similar prices for well-specified elective services to individuals paying out-of-pocket for medical care. METHODS We surveyed the 2 largest g...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Postoperative pneumonia (PNA) has been identified as a preventable never event by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The CMS has discussed possibly discontinuing reimbursement for this postoperative complication. In this study, risk factors, patient outcomes, and hospital charges of care associated with postoperative PNA in patients undergoing pituitary ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the economics of lung volume reduction surgery. DESIGN Medical center and physician charges obtained from billing records. SETTING Academic health center. PATIENTS Twenty-three consecutive patients undergoing lung volume reduction surgery at a single institution who were discharged from the hospital prior to November 1, 1995. OUTCOME MEASURES Length of hospital ...

OBJECTIVE: To examine temporal trend in the national incidence of bronchiolitis hospitalizations, use of mechanical ventilation, and hospital charges between 2000 and 2009. METHODS:We performed a serial, cross-sectional analysis of a nationally representative sample of children hospitalized with bronchiolitis. The Kids Inpatient Database was used to identify children ,2 years of age with bronch...

PURPOSE Aim of this study is to investigate the characteristics and performance of colorectal-anal specialty vs. general hospitals for South Korean inpatients with colorectal-anal diseases, and assesses the short-term designation effect of the government's specialty hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS Nationwide all colorectal-anal disease inpatient claims (n=292158) for 2010-2012 were used to in...

STUDY DESIGN Case-control. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the economic impact of an incidental durotomy in spine surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA An incidental durotomy during spine surgery does not affect long-term outcomes, but as reimbursement moves toward bundled payments, it may substantially affect the profitability of spine surgery. METHODS A retrospective revi...

Background and Purpose—A stroke “weekend effect” on mortality has been demonstrated in other countries with a possible slight effect in the United States. We studied patients with stroke in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database for a weekend effect on thrombolytic use, in-hospital mortality, discharge disposition, hospital charges, and length of stay. Methods—The Nationwide Inpatient Sample ...