ALCOHOL INTOXICATION IN MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH VICTIMS AND ASSOCIATED INCREASED HOSPITAL CHARGES

The relationship between the use of alcoholic substances and injury in motor vehicle crashes (MVC) is fairly well studied. What is less studied is the effect of alcohol intoxication (AI) upon hospital costs after admission. Do AI MVC victims generate higher costs than MVC victims with blood alcohol concentration (BAC) equal to zero, after matching for injury severity? Information was collected from the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center's Trauma Registry as well as Patient Financial Services and medical records. The authors compared data from the two groups, finding that despite a shorter hospital stay (4.27 days v. 5.46 days - not statistically significant), AI MVC patients accumulated higher total hospital charges ($30,010 v. $27,463 - not statistically significant) and charges per day ($7,485 v. $5,610 - statistically significant with p-value <0.05). Furthermore, the AI patients were also more likely to require physical restraint, receive sedation in the trauma bay, and require intubation and mechanical ventilation (all statistically significant at same p-value). The study supports the hypothesis that alcohol intoxication in MVC victims is associated with higher hospital charges per day, when standardized for severity of injury. These higher charges likely results from a requirement of higher intensity of care for the acutely intoxicated MVC victim. In a time when trauma centers are under ever increasing financial pressures, AI should be recognized as a risk factor for increased utilization of hospital resources.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/08926484
• Corporate Authors:

  ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF AUTOMOTIVE MEDICINE (AAAM)

  2350 EAST DEVON AVENUE, SUITE 205
  DES PLAINES,   United States  60018
• Authors:
  • Sun, R R
  • Anderson III, H L
  • Beaulieu, J F
  • Schwab, C W
• Conference:
  • 41st Annual Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine Conference
  • Location: Orlando, Florida
  • Date: 1997-11-10 to 1997-11-11
• Publication Date: 1997

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 430-431
• Serial:
  • Publication of: ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF AUTOMOTIVE MEDICINE
  • Publisher: Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM)
  • ISSN: 0892-6484

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alcohol abuse; Blood alcohol levels; Cost control; Costs; Drunk drivers; Hospitals; Traffic crash victims; Traffic crashes
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I10: Economics and Administration; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00767382
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 13 1999 12:00AM