| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
Health Policy and Practice |
1 From the Department of Radiology, Harborview Medical Center, 325 Ninth Ave, Box 359728, Seattle, WA 98104-8560 (C.C.B.); the Departments of Radiology (C.C.B.) and Health Policy and Administration (W.N.Z.), University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and the Department of Management Services, University of North Carolina Health Care System, Chapel Hill (N.D.G.). Received August 25, 2000; revision requested October 5; revision received March 9, 2001; accepted March 16. C.C.B. received funding for this study as a GERRAF Fellow. Address correspondence to C.C.B (e-mail: craige@u.washington.edu).
PURPOSE: To determine the resource costs of the technical component of cervical spine radiography in patients with trauma and the factors that drive resource costs, to provide a model for resource cost estimation, and to compare resource costs with other methods of cost estimation.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Direct measurement was made of technologist labor and supply costs of a cohort of 409 consecutive patients with trauma who underwent cervical spine radiography. Probability of cervical spine injury was determined by reviewing emergency department medical records. An animated simulation model was used to combine cost and injury probability estimates to determine resource costs. Sensitivity analysis explored factors that determined costs and estimated uncertainty in model estimations. Comparison was made with other cost estimates.
RESULTS: The average technical resource cost for cervical spine radiography was $49.60. Both direct labor ($19.60 vs $13.33; P < .005) and film ($8.39 vs $6.76; P < .005) costs were greater in patients with high probability of injury than in those with low probability of injury. Overall costs in patients with high probability of injury exceeded those in patients with low probability of injury by 33%. Resource costs exceeded Medicare resource-based relative value unit reimbursements for all patients with trauma.
CONCLUSION: Resource costs of the technical components of cervical spine radiography varied with patient probability of injury and were higher than Medicare reimbursements.
Index terms: Cost-effectiveness • Economics, medical • Spine, injuries • Spine, radiography
Related Article
Radiology 2001 220: 563-565.
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  K. Muchantef and H. P. Forman Cost Accounting in Radiology: New Directions and Importance for Policy Am. J. Roentgenol., December 1, 2005; 185(6): 1404 - 1407. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C. C. Blackmore Clinical Prediction Rules in Trauma Imaging: Who, How, and Why? Radiology, May 1, 2005; 235(2): 371 - 374. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. D. Bub, C. C. Blackmore, F. A. Mann, and F. M. Lomoschitz Cervical Spine Fractures in Patients 65 Years and Older: A Clinical Prediction Rule for Blunt Trauma Radiology, January 1, 2005; 234(1): 143 - 149. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. Tigges, D. L. Roberts, K. H. Vydareny, and D. A. Schulman Routine Chest Radiography in a Primary Care Setting Radiology, November 1, 2004; 233(2): 575 - 578. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. T. Gray, W. Hollingworth, C. C. Blackmore, M. A. Alotis, B. I. Martin, S. D. Sullivan, R. A. Deyo, and J. G. Jarvik Conventional Radiography, Rapid MR Imaging, and Conventional MR Imaging for Low Back Pain: Activity-based Costs and Reimbursement Radiology, June 1, 2003; 227(3): 669 - 680. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. D. Cohen Determining Costs of Imaging Services Radiology, September 1, 2001; 220(3): 563 - 565. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| RADIOLOGY | RADIOGRAPHICS | RSNA JOURNALS ONLINE |
